Today is the one day of the year when Dad’s expect to get obnoxious ties, hand tools, homemade cards or any one of the various and sundry Father's Day gifts from their children, and I promise you they’ll cherish those gifts for as long as they live.
As a son, I think it’s important to remember the man who taught me how to throw a baseball, bait a hook and to always tell the truth. (I still have nightmares about hairbrushes.) I owe my dad a debt of gratitude for showing me the kind of father I want to be. Because of him, I understand what fatherly love feels like and what it takes to show that kind of love to your children.
As a father, I want my sons to be able to look back someday and know they were loved, respected and encouraged. No matter how hard I try to explain my feelings for my sons, I don’t think they’ll ever understand until the have children of their own. My only hope is that my efforts to show them how much I love them aren’t in vain.
I hope 20 years from now, my sons will look back on our time together and realize that everything I said and did was an honest effort to make them better men. And I hope they realize I did the best I could, and that they forgive me for my shortcomings. No one’s perfect.
Today is the day to call your dad, send him a card, stop for lunch or just keep him in your thoughts. Remember the good times and the bad, the hugs and the angry looks. Remember the times when you didn’t think it would ever be possible to be happier, and the times when you promised never to act like that when you had your own kids.
Remember all those things because they are part of a father’s love; they are his wishes, dreams and hopes for your life spread over a lifetime in small fragments and embedded into your every day.
See, Dad? I was paying attention.
I love you.
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