DAD, A YEAR LATER

Right before Father’s Day last year I wrote an essay. In it I said that I thought 2013 would be the last such holiday I would spend on earth with my Dad, while he was still on it. I was right. Dad passed away on June 25, 2013, a month and a half or so before his 90th birthday.

I can’t say I would have wished he stay on. At least not the way his poor body had deteriorated. He was so tired, so very, very tired. The truth is, the end of earthly life comes sooner or later to each of us and Dad was fortunate to have reached “later.” He was, as they say, ready to receive his reward.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t miss him. He was an honorable, quiet, kind, patient, industrious, honest (telling the truth was paramount), loving person – a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. There’s a quote that says “to really know a father, observe his behavior with a lady, a flat tire and a child.” Dad? Check. Check. And check – he’d have passed each one with flying colors. (And as far as my Dad is concerned, I would add “a dog” to the list. There’d be a check mark there, too. And a big “woof” from all the lucky canines who ever crossed his path.)

My father was not a rich man in the sense that this world defines rich. He worked hard in factories and at what some would consider “menial” jobs for his entire life. College was never an option for him. Money was always hard to come by and he could be described as a frugal, “waste not, want not” type of guy. He didn’t waste and his family didn’t want – for anything we needed. An understanding of money and what one should do (and should not do) with even a little bit of it eluded him, and it’s frankly been a little frustrating to sort out the small estate that he left behind.

Proverbs 16:21 says that a “wise man is known by his common sense.” Dad was rich in that. And so I know and remember him. And realize that the estate he left us is really very, very large. Enormous. We were taught respect. And care. And truth. And though he didn’t often give voice to the words, love. Thanks, Dad - you left me an extremely wealthy woman. Happy Father’s Day!