A lovely tribute to your father!  We love our parents but take them for granted to we become parents ouorselves and finally realize what a hard job it is.  Then we hear our parents' voices coming out of our mouths... and their words.  And that's probably when we first really realize how much they've touched us.

Hi Margaret, Thank you so much for you gracious comments. You are so right as we hear our parents words coming out of our mouths. It is really incredible, isn't it.

Hi William,

Lovely. Your Dad must have been one great guy, just look at you!

Hi Lynda, Well thank you so much for that. He was actually a terrific guy and well liked. The sad thing is that many of us never really appreciate how much so until it is too late to share the best part of our lives. But I suppose the way things work is that they probably know. They did all the right things, set the right course and wait and then hopefully we learned most of the right lessons. If you plant the right seeds continuously and you nurture them , eventually those seedlings flower and many times they are spectacular.

William, Great video, I feel the same about my father.  He touched my life in so many ways, that even after 20 years I still stop and think how or what he would do.  Great and poignant video.

William, OK, I'm a mess now. I'm sorry for your loss, Dad would be so proud (as I'm sure he was) of the man you have became. Beatiful tribute to Dad, he lives on through you, his son.

Happy Fathers Day to you,

Duane

Remarkably beautiful, William.  Your father knows all of these things.  Anything else I would say would detract from the sentiments so brilliantly expressed above.  I tread lightly as not to leave any footprints.  Happy Father's Day, my friend.

Now that was oh so beautiful William....your dad heard you then...and now. Always will....just as you feel him then...and now.

Happy Father's Day William...hug the poochies for me :)

William,

Your Dad would be justifiably proud of you!

Bill

Thank you Tony and Darcy, I was so pleased to find something so appropriate that actually fit.

Hi Duane, Something occurred to me today as I wrote this. I know it might sound a little strange but for some of us who have lost those in our lives that are meaningful to our lives, we have this venue to witness our feelings and expressions. Think of the millions out there with no outlet to be ever be able to share we can we can here. We even get extra courage to say those things we want to say but may never have been able to utter form our own lips.

It was like an epiphany for me. How I always wanted to honor him in some meaningful way and yet never discovered exactly how. Now I have reconciled that feeling of incompleteness. When one gives pause to that , it is amazingly powerful yet something else that is very special about our network.  

I was on there and forgot most what I wanted to say and that was a very warm thank you Duane. How wonderful you express yourself and your sentiments also touched me with your sincerity and grace.

William, you have found the secret, release, refresh and rejuvenate your life, can open up the positive flow to move forward with so much of a better attitude and drive. Kudos to you.

Plus, we find out that were not the only ones in the world that may be experiencing a matter that may have weighing heavy on our minds.

Woo Hoo, I am so glad you appreciated that. I mentioned to Duane that I sort of had an epiphany today when I was writing it. For some of use that need it, an outlet right here on our network to give the honor and praise that we might have failed to complete at some earlier time with those that were so meaningful in our lives. And to be able to share it with our friends is even more special. Isn't it remarkable and yet I think of the millions that don't have this outlet to be able to express it and reconcile it.  

Happy Fathers Day to Gary. Hugs all around.

William

William, Thanks you so much for dropping by and for your wonderful sentiment that you expressed to me. Tomorrow is your day as well. Happy Fathers Day William

Hi Duane, You are so right. It's that shared experience that in one way says , hey you are OK and in another that says, yep, me too! We are all different but often we all experience the same feelings.

Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers here on Active Rain.

William, a really nice post.  We all need to stop and say "Thanks" to our fathers today.    I want to invite you to join  "Journaling in The Rain", a new group on Active Rain.


A place to post your day or your week.  The days of our lives are the segments that connect it together and the way that we get to know each other on this planet.

We are all so busy and sometimes can't remember what happened yesterday, let alone what happened last week. 

Journaling In The Rain is a great place to post those things and who knows, by recording them, they may lead to specific posts about certain happenings.  Journaling also can lead us to change the way that we spend our days.
Judi Barrett

Hi Gary, Very Nice. Thanks for dropping by.

Hi Judi, Thank you for the invite, I 'll go by and take a look. I love the title of the group.

William, the greatest testimony of a parent is how well their children grow up. You have made your father's testimony shine! What a wonderful tribute to a man who molded you into the wonderful man you are now. He would be proud...and, I'm sure he knew how much you loved him.  BTW...you made my eyes leak.

Hi  Linda,

Do you remember the words to Mahogany." Do you know where you're going to, Do you like the things that life is showing you? Do you know?

I am touched that you leaked a bit. We were born with all the emotions and they are designed that as one learns life's lessons, they get plugged in. And then become available automatically we when experience it again ( Activating the switch, if you will. ) For most of us, seeing a life lesson and taking custody , don't necessarily happen at the same time. Sometimes it takes years. What is so wonderful is that eventually , if we are observant, we get it. And Again and Again and again.

I think that is the way I most see my Dad, as the instigator of the lessons but for me some of them took an inordinate amount of time, but eventually it seems, I got it. What I think was wise of him was that he knew that when I needed it, it would be there for me. I realize more everyday now that I am older, I shared his values, I shared his insight and I am now beginning to share his wisdom. I am actually very much like him and all for the right reasons.

If I were giving advise to young parents, it would be simply this. "Stay on message" . Be consistent and eventually when the lesson is needed, the experience to integrate into our lives will come.

Thank you Linda for very kind and wonderful words, they mean a great deal to me. For to be perceived as a kind, humble, wise and gracious man is the definition and the result I sought in myself.  If others see and feel even a part of that in me, then I am where I need to be. To me , it means that now I may truly share it in hopes that I will provide what others may take custody of. As my Dad would say, " The only things in life that you may keep are those things that you are first willing to give away".

What an honor to give to your dad. Mine has been gone for 10 years.

William, I remember this song...wasn't it Cat Stevens?  Your message goes far beyond the beautiful tribute to your father.  It is a remember to all of us to slow down and appreciate every special person in our lives, whether children, parents or friends.  It is so easy to let life fly by while missing all of the most important moments!

Hi Robert, Thanks for dropping by and being a part of this tribute.  

Hello Diane, It was Diana Ross. After the Supremes. She also played the part in the movie and Mahogany was the sound track.

One reason why this sticks out for me was that I used to use this music it my sales and marketing training. We would turn out the lights and ask people to close their eyes and just listen to the words. Sort of feel the music and understand the words, if you will. I do this even today. That is why I love my iTouch so much. And my iPod before that. Everyone over the age of 21 should have one. Especially as we get older.  Medically it probably has or will save me hundreds of thousands in medical bills. It brings me to such a wonderful place.

Part of what my music does for me is also to put me in a frame of mind where I am not as likely to forget to say thanks you and I love you. For that reason alone, it is priceless.

My advise to anyone is to try and take it all in and leave enough time to understand what you have done and why. I do this in my conversations with the ONE upstairs. I always feel accompanied and never alone. Never to weak or too inferior. For always there will greater and lesser persons than me. And from Deserata ( That my Dad entrusted in me as my road map) , I realize I to have a right to be here. All I ask for is that within the limitations I possess at any particular time, help me be the ultimate best that I can be and in some way everyday to provide some benefit to as many as I can. Then at the end of day, I also ask that if this were my last breath, help to know that I have his approval ( I seek this in all things) and that all is in the right order for the next step.

I have always loved that song, Thanks for the memory :)

Hello Brett, You are very welcome. It seems to elicit some good memories for many.

Beautifully worded William.  Your prose stands strong and on its own as a great testament to a great man ... who raised one heck of a son.

That was me William:-)

Thanks so much for sharing this very powerful video. It just makes you want to c-y.

Hans

William this really touched me, I miss my dad so much as I can tell you do too. Thanks for sharing a lovely video for us that made me remember my dad.

William- As Missy and others said, this was beautiful  and touched that part of my soul that is saved for special people.  Thank you for sharing this....and I hope that it did in fact release that guilt of not saying it when you wanted to.  But as Sally said, I am sure he heard you.

Hello Jason, Thank you so much for that, your words resonate beautifully. I feel very pleased that I had I chance at last to put this to words. I mentioned a few times here how this network provides all of us a chance to do a little catching up from our past and do some things that might be long past due. It was for me a way to reconcile a bit of what I missed doing a long time ago. I am sure my Dad had already reconciled it but I hadn't.

Hello Hans, Thank so much and I appreciate more than you know you coming by and sharing your feelings.

Hello Missy, Thank you Missy. It has been a real pleasure for me to finally pay this tribute. Long past due and I feel good about that. Hopefully if just one person doesn't fail to reconcile what they would surely regret, it was doubly wonderful. Thanks You again and I can feel in your words your sincerity. But they already knew, didn't they.

Hi Kathy, Thank you so much. I know that you know. One has certain instincts and I felt it in your words. I feel so gratified that I was afforded witnesses by our network of this tribute. I was so surprised that it was featured but so very pleased that more would be able to share this and maybe see or recognize something they would want to express in their relationship. 

William, What a wonderful tribute to your Father.  I'm sure your Father would be so proud of you today. 

Hello Bob, Thanks for dropping by and sharing in this tribute. Thank you so much for your very kinds words.

William- what a moving post!  I was with my Dad when he died almost 25 years ago, and said my good byes to an unconscious man.  I don't think any child says I love you enough to a parent, but being a parent now myself, I understand and know that my children love me, even if they cannot or will not say the words.  He is with you in your heart, and you will see him again when the time comes.

Hi Carol, thanks for dropping by and sharing in this tribute. It could also be the parent that says to a child "I love you" everyday. Morning and at time to retire. When done consistently, I know a child will repeat it back and then there is a sort of permission to say it often.

Same thing in a marriage. I could be a part of the covenants and promises that should be there. Every morning and at the end of the day. Could you imagine how it could change life for so many who did not fall out of love but became complacent and then could not easily say what they felt.  

William- I could be cynical here and say that in marriage some people cannot easily feel what they say!  Not to hijack your post or anything, but laughter goes a long way in a marriage!

It does indeed in all relationships and you are aren't being cynical at all, I appreciate the completeness and all the exceptions as well. Our world today is not always conducing to living life the best way. Sometimes it seems like just just trying to get through the day. The external pressures are still one the best reasons to try to build that bond and make it a team effort. No panacea at any rate. And some should never have married the other. They may have been more in love with being in love and not so "in love". Anyway it is about Dad's and the family. There are so many variations that there is no one way that is always better than another.

Beautiful tribute William.  Thank you.

Hi Susie, Thanks for stopping by and adding to this tribute. I areally appreciate it so much.

Hi William -- there's something deeply moving about the relationship -- and memories -- between father and son.  You and my Dr. John seem to be very fortunate men!  God bless you!

Hello Terry, Thank You Very Much, I am glad it had significance for you. And I am doubly pleased that you have shared your comment here on this post.

hello William,

Thanks for sharing - my heart is still pounding.

 Just like you - I LOVE MY FATHER!

Bo Kociuba

Hi Bo, I loved your number 1 on your web site , I need money, ( Kids and college) Loved that. Thanks you for dropping by and sharing that, it was very special.

My added Thank you for sharing. This is such a beautiful tribute to your dad.

Hello June, Thank You so much. Nice to have you drop by. I so appreciate it.