They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In my case, a thousand words can’t possibly say what this picture is worth to me, so this one is just over 500 words. This picture right here contains three of my favorite dads.
My brother, Steve, is such a great father to Hallie and Connor, and even though the Navy sent him to sea many times during his career, seeing Shana and the kids on the pier to welcome him home was always the best part of any deployment. Hallie and Connor are both strong, intelligent, and loving kids, and they learned those things from the amazing parents they have.
My Dad, my hero… he was the first man I ever loved completely, and without reservation. He fed me when I was a baby, taught me how to build a deck (sort of), taught me how to ride a bike, taught me how to play a trumpet (thank goodness he DID NOT teach me how to play French horn!!! Sue did that!), rubbed Noxzema into my back when I got a so sunburnt that I had to ride backwards in the car, took me on my first date (a father/daughter dinner at Anderton’s), taught me how to drive, taught me how to swim, taught me how to love others, and taught me how to love myself. He held me when I cried over my first real break-up, chewed my ass out and grounded me (If I hadn’t joined the Navy, I would probably still be grounded!) when I did something stupid like getting him called to the Assistant Principal’s office when I was a junior, played referee more times than he probably wanted to when I was a rebellious teenager who clashed with Mom daily, smiled with tears in his eyes as he grabbed my hand when I walked past the band at my High School graduation, held me tightly at the Memphis airport when I was getting ready to leave home for Navy Boot Camp, walked me down the aisle when I was 46 years old, has called me nearly every night since Grubby died, and has stepped in as Abby’s grandfather without hesitation. She once said she won the grandparent lottery when she got GramBarb and GramBill. As many words as I have, I still don’t have adequate ones to express my thank yous for all he’s done for me, my admiration for all he’s done for so many others (his students), my gratitude that I still have him on this planet, and my love for him.
And, then, there’s the final dad… Grubby. Although you can’t physically see him in this picture, we feel him around us every day. We talk about him everyday. We honor him everyday, and we miss him every. Single. Day. So, while Grubby himself may not be visible in this picture, he is there in Abby’s smile, woven in the stories we tell around the table after dinner, and in the memories we all share…
Happy Father’s Day to you all, but especially to these three dads!
Thanks for sharing