I was born on Christmas Day. This is a pic of me in the stocking they sent me home from the hospital in. I love that I’m looking at him.
Father’s Day isn’t as emotionally difficult for me as Mother’s Day. I have a great dad and he’s very much a part of my life.
The older I get, the more I recognize how lucky I am. Many people lose their fathers early in life, aren’t particularly close to them, or have very strained relationships. Then there are those who want to be fathers but haven’t had that opportunity. I acknowledge that today will be hard if you are one of those people. Please remember that those of us posting photos and writing about our dads aren’t trying to rub it in or make others feel bad. We are just publicly expressing love and gratitude for these important men in our lives. I encourage these expressions of love. I think the world needs more of it.
As a kid, I didn’t recognize that it would be hard for my dad to be raising four girls by himself. I just remember all the basketball games we went to, watching Star Trek or The Adventures of Lois and Clark, or getting in the van and traveling all over. He had lots of help from neighbors and family, but he deserves most of the credit for any amount of success in my life.
A few months ago my 2 year old nephew was screaming and throwing a tantrum. We all watched in silence as my dad picked him up, whispered in his ear, and CJ calmed down. My dad is literally the child whisperer.
Thank you Dad. I know it wasn’t easy. It was probably lonely and frustrating. But you taught me to work hard, continue learning, have an opinion, and stay close to my family.
A few years ago we did a little questionnaire for everyone’s birthday. One of the questions was –
“What three things do you want Lizzie to remember throughout her 30th year?”
Dad wrote:
- 30 is the new 20
- I love you
- Come home again for Christmas
Always.
What’s Tomorrow?
June 22nd