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Honored Contributor
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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM


@Lucky Charm wrote:

Love my dad to bits and pieces.  

 

From my earliest recollection, he looked exactly like Ricky Ricardo.  EXACTLY.

 

Now people tell him he looks like Pope John Paul.  And it's true, although he has hair and the Pope didn't.

 

Rides a rickety bike to get the paper every morning.

 

Takes a dip in the ocean almost every day from June till end of Sept.

 

Today he cut the grass (on a tractor) at the firehouse--does it as a volunteer although he was never a fireman....

 

Sings to my mom all the time (he can also whistle beautifully) and can make a pie crust that would shame Martha Stewart.  


@Lucky Charm  What a tender story to read. Thanks.

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM


@Evie2004 wrote:

 I was an adult when I learned something sad & frightful that happened to my Dad when he was only 12 years old (not sexual or abuse)..it was told to me by his younger sister, who thought I knew of it..from that day forward, I felt horrible for my Dad, it explained a lot of his behaviors as we were growing up, short-tempered, to say the least, but was a great provider for my Mom & my siblings..

since that day, ( he has passed on by then) I have prayed for him every day, told him how much I loved him, & at the same time, feel anger towards my Mother, for not telling me any of this, she was aware of what happened. I had always heard of family’s secrets, but never dreamed we had one. To this day, I am upset with my Mom & not sure I will ever get over this..

so, as Father’s Day nears, I hope my Day knows how much I love him & thank him for all he did for us, just wish I had shown him how much when he was alive.


@Evie2004  He knows how much you loved him and is still w/ you in spirit. It takes too much energy to hold on to resentment for your Mother. Parents protect their kids. 

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

@Shanus, you are correct on both counts, thank you

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

[ Edited ]

@Shanus  I would write something very similar about my father, except that we were fortunate that he never lost a child.  He was also my buffer, my best friend, and my hero.  His cancer was just a year.  A terrible year, but he fought hard, wanting to take care of us to the end.  In his last days, when he was no longer communicating, I held his hand and read the lyrics to Celine Dion's "I'm Everything I Am Because You Loved Me."  I do think he heard that.  He's been gone over 15 years, and I miss him terribly.  

 

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

@ItsME. I may have already mentioned that I keep a photo of Dad where I see it first thing each morning. It reminds me that life continues through his great grandchildren and he “left me in charge”. You don’t have to wonder. Your Dad heard every note of that song. 💕

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

Was I blessed to have the father that I had? He was the best. He was a farmer and was the oldest of thirteen children. Little education because he was needed on the farm. Every day he went to market to sell the produce with a horse and buggy at three am. My father married later in life. He was 43 when I was born. To put it mildly I was not a good baby. I finally straightened out. He took me everywhere by bus. No car at that time. A house a car and a big garden and I finally got a brother. My father lived his life for his family. He passed when he was 95. I could tell you so much more about my Dad. A life well lived. 

 

 

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

My dad has been gone over 20 years and I think of him and miss him every day.  When I go to his grave site I always thank him (and my mother) for being such good parents.    Heart

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

@Shanus .... He spent a lot of time in hospitals that last year, and I called him every night to say goodnight.  I've kept that up... still say goodnight to him every night, and sometimes tell him the news of the day.

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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM

[ Edited ]

 

            Thank you, @Shanus, for your beautiful tribute, for this thread, and my thanks to everyone who shared, too.    My heart goes out to all of you.   My Daddy died when I was 17 years old, and even now when I write those words it causes my heart to wince, breath to catch, and my eyes to tear up.   Along with the obvious Father's Day, there are special associations between my father's life and several days commemorated on everyone's calendars...   we decided long ago to use those days to celebrate his life and carry forward his memory and loving, charitable spirit.   

            He came from extremely humble and difficult beginnings, was a "self-made" success but always acknowledged those who were there to support and encourage him and he tried to teach us to do the same.    A man of deep faith, he put it into action and taught us that genuine faith is manifested in the way we incorporate it into our life every minute of every day and in the character and nature of our interactions with others, rather than verses to be memorized or a label we place on ourselves.    He had a magnificent joie de vivre, wicked sense of humor, energy, and a profound love and dedication to his family.   

            Going through life with a smile that could light up a hundred stadiums, and a passion for life that radiated equally bright, he fought hard to stay with us as long as he could, and his passing didn't move him away from us or out of our lives.   Sometimes I think when I look up into the sky I can see him smiling down and assuring me, cheering for me, and comforting me.   I feel his hugs, even now.   He's a part of us, and we try to keep his life-flame burning eternally to honor his memory.

 

            Thanks, again, everyone for taking time to share and to open your hearts.   I think every one of you is quite brilliantly special, and you're the perfect example of the reason this is called a "Community."❤️

 

Few things reveal your intellect and your generosity of spirit—the parallel powers of your heart and mind—better than how you give feedback.~Maria Popova
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Re: OUR DADS: WHY WE LOVE (LOVED) THEM


@ItsME wrote:

@Shanus .... He spent a lot of time in hospitals that last year, and I called him every night to say goodnight.  I've kept that up... still say goodnight to him every night, and sometimes tell him the news of the day.


 

 

@ItsME  We all find our ways to hold on to those we love and keep them close. Not to freak you out, but I truly believe they’re there when we reach out to them. Sometimes there are connections that cannot be broken.