Don’t forget
June 16, 2009
Father’s Day comes around again Sunday. It gives people a chance to express their love in a special way. For many it offers an opportunity to show appreciation to fathers who may find it hard to be affectionate under other more “normal” circumstances.
I had three fathers as I grew up. There was my father, Charlie, who was a very quiet, hard-working man, always kind to me. Then there was my grandfather, Forest, who taught me many things about courtesy and tact and appreciation of others. Since my parents divorced and remarried, we children found ourselves living with one, then the other, and much of the time with our grandparents. The third father I had was my stepfather, Joe, who was an energetic, hard-working businessman who was good to his stepchildren. I called my three fathers “Daddy,” “Big Dad,” and “Joe.”
When Father’s day came around, I had three cards to put in the mail: one each for Charlie, Forest, and Joe. Wanda always was the one who purchased the cards, one for her own father and three for mine. She always remembered Father’s Day and each of them.
Forest died in 1957, Charlie in 1979, and Joe in 1994. Wanda in 2002. Now there are no more cards to buy, and the one who always did it is gone, too. Father’s Day now is different for me than it used to be. Time moves along and opportunities pass. If there is someone you should remember on Father’s Day, or someone you need to remember for any reason, please do it while you can. You may not always have the privilege of doing it again. Whatever the circumstances, you’ll always be glad you did.