Today is Father's Day. This November my Dad will have be gone for 10 years. He was never much for fussing over him(or at least he acted like we didn't need to). We got him the same things year after year. Shirts, cologne, funny statues, cards some funny, some with letters of how much we loved him and of course who can forget soap on a rope! When he passed and we cleaned out his belongings he had kept every card and letter!
Just before he died I made him a small scrapbook. I remember him sitting on the blue couch in his blue pajamas(I bet you can guess his favorite color, LOL). He turned the pages slowly, smiled, laughed out loud and then looked up at me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He died later that year. I'm glad I took the time to share my memories funny and sad with him before it was too late. You see my Dad like many other Dads was sometimes hard to talk to. I usually used humor to connect with him. Most of the time it worked. Saved my butt many a time!
Growing up I was scared to death of him. After he was hurt things were different and so was he. The real turning point with my Dad came when I married Lee. They had an instant connection. Both being through accidents that changed their lives. My Dad visited quite a bit when he was able. He talked to Lee just about everyday or at least 3 times a week. And in turn I got to see a different side of my Dad. Anyone that knew my Dad knew how much he loved Lee. And I loved my Dad for that. I felt like I got to know my Dad all over. Some of the stories he would tell Lee! What a life he had lived.
I use to hate that I looked so much like him(chunky too). I'm the only child that has his brown eyes. Sometimes I'm caught off guard when I look in the mirror and see his eyes stare back at me. But it is a good feeling that I'm a part of him and he lives on not just in me but in each of my brothers, my sister and his grandchildren. Lee and I have had many a conversation about how each one of us has certain traits like my Dad's and who is the most like him.
When my Dad had his accident the hospital called and asked my Mom to bring someone who could drive just in case she needed help getting my Dad into the car. They told her my Dad had just broken his leg. So she took me and when we got to Mt. Carmel East Hospital they took us to a private room and told us how bad the accident really was. My dad had almost every bone in his body broken. Dr. Schlonsky(along with other doctors) worked on him till almost 6am! He spent months in intensive care and almost 13 months total at the hospital. My Dad had so many surgeries over the years and suffered so much but he told me when I got married that he was glad he lived to see me marry a good man. (and of course he told me not to screw it up!...really that is what he said!) I'm glad for the doctors that gave us the extra years with him. But most of all I'm glad he was my Father. Good or bad he helped make me the person I am today.
So Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there and to my Dad...I miss you.
