Fathers Day

Got up early this morning as usual and found a couple of nice Fathers Day cards here on the keyboard. I needed that, just too much on the mind lately.... always do though around this time of year. Fathers Day and Christmas just brings back a lot of memories, both fond and not so fond of my dad.

I had my dad on a pedestal you see and he died bout 11 years ago of cancer at the age of 54. Dad was a hard man, and growing up we didn't always see eye to eye, but that man loved his family more than some in my family will ever understand. With six of us boys though I can now understand why he had to be so hard . You try to make sure your children grow up to have morals, and in order to do that you have to know what tough love is.

Back when I had got out of the military I thought I was ten foot tall and bullet proof. One day I stood up to dad when he got on my case about how I was acting as a father...well I done something a son should never do to a parent, and I hit him. Dad was a right fair sized man, six foot two and weighed in about 235lbs. Would have been a hell-a-va heavy weight boxer if you ask me, and he just put a good old fashioned ass whooping on this old boy . lol

It's was two years before I'd ever speak to him again after that. Mom would come around and try to get me to just go visit him, but I'd refuse to do so. She always told me that being the oldest I was too much like the man. After my second child Denora was born I finally gave in and went over to let him see his first grand daughter. A stranger would have never thought that we'd had a falling out...things were as good as they had ever been, if not better. I'm very thankful that we got the chance to mend things. Dad were'nt around but for bout ten years after that, and I'm damn glad we got to spend that time together. We never did play each other poker, he were'nt much for cards, but we done our share of camping and fishing together. I'll cherish those days for as long as I'm here on this earth.

History repeats it's self they say , and I do believe that. My son and I are going through pretty much the same damn thing right now....the wife says we're just too much alike. It's been several months now since I've talked to him . Not to long after my surgery to remove the cancer and polyps from my vocal cords we got into an argument and I'd told him to never call this house again till he could show me more respect. I've heard he's out of the Army now and moving out west somewhere. I sure hope that boy calls today and we can mend this thing.......... 

Anyhow, Happy Fathers Day to all you dads out there. If you got a father that's still around this old world, be sure to call him up. You just never know when that opportunity may be gone.