Father's Day Memories

I really don't remember a particular father's day growing up, but I am sure it consisted of a cookout and probably a few beers. I would say the morning started with a big breakfast my mom would have prepared and then we would share our gifts with daddy. Mine would be something I drew or made and he would make over it like it was priceless. Then daddy would go to the golf course and when the boys got old enough they would get to go with him. I stayed home and helped mom get ready for the cookout. I have to admit I always wanted to go to the golf course with the boys and if I didn't get to putt or even touch a club I wouldn't have cared, I wanted to drive around in the golf cart. Being a girl in those days meant you got to hang out with mom and chop onions and celery for the potato salad and get your hands slimy in hamburger meat. This day wasn't any gigantic celebration, because at our house any Saturday or Sunday there would be some kind of party. My Daddy was that guy...He just made things fun. If he was mowing grass he would let us kids sit on his lap and we would mow 2 acres. If it was raking a pile of leaves we knew at the end there would be matches and fire. You have to know there is nothing more fascinating that getting a stick and poking at a fire. If he had to run to the store for mom we kids and later grandchildren would load up in the back of his blue work truck and off to the store we would go. He would have the radio up as high as it would go and we would be hanging onto the back rails singing along. I have so many memories of my dad and most of them have nothing to do with grand vacations or big events. I remember coming into my house on Wednesday afternoons and smelling pork chops frying in mom's big cast iron skillet. Every kitchen cabinet would be wide open and there was daddy with flour all over him and the counters. He would have a pan of cottage fries going and potato peelings in the sink. It was a mess, but he had Wednesday afternoons off and he was cooking so mom wouldn't have too. She would come in at 5:30 and she would fuss at daddy because he had made such a mess. He would hand her a glass of wine and hit her on the behind with a dish towel and tell he and I would clean up the mess later. I must admit daddy would usually disappear after dinner and mom and I had to get out degreaser and wipe down the stove and counters, but it was a fun dinner and a special time for our family. Daddy was a man who would decide get me out of school on the pretense that I had a dentist appointment and take me to the Flagler Beach Pier and go fishing. We left for a trip to Miami giving my mom about 2 days notice. We had no reservations just popped in the car with a few changes of clothes and our bathing suits. We must have had a least two flat tires on that trip and nobody loved a flat tire more than my dad. Everytime I watch the Christmas Story and see the dad wanting to be timed while changing the tire it reminds me of daddy. My job was to hold the hub cap and the nuts and bolts that held the tire on. My brothers and daddy would quickly get out the jack and have the spare put on in record time. Daddy also got pulled a lot, but his pleasant manner and smile usually got him off with a warning. As soon as we got a little down the road he would start talking and laughing and usually back to speeding. All of his grandchildren remember his humor and his loving ways. He worked hard and he played hard. He had a joy for life that was fun to be a part of. I like to think I inherited some of his zest for living. I know I inherited his love for family and enjoying the simple things in life. I thank God for giving me a dad that would lay down his life for his kids and showed us what a loving parent looked like. I have been doubly blessed, because I found a husband that is a wonderful dad to his kids and to his grandchildren. He is more of a planner and more level headed, but I need someone like Bill to keep me grounded like my mom was for my dad. He is the best man I know and one of the best dads around. He will always be there for all of us and has taught our children about love, loyalty, and being there always for family, but he had a good teacher, his dad. That is another whole story maybe for next fathers day. So God Bless all of you daddys out there.