Father's Day is on June 18, 2023. The month of June has a plethora of memories. Personally, I have been thinking of my dad (RIP) a lot these days. Since this past April, I have been seeing a lot of fathers interacting with their children outdoors and it puts a smile on my face.
Sweet Memories
I took this photo of a father and his child in Swizerland
The local Baseball field in Flower Mound started weekly baseball games for fathers and little kids. Whenever I come to the stop sign, I can't help but notice. kids running around and fathers coaching their small children. Nostalgia warms my cheeks with smiles in memory of the summers of long ago when my father drove my siblings and me to the forest preserve's to their many open fields to play baseball. Our meals were picnic style and the ice chest always filled with ice. My mother packed empty cups for us to fill them up with cold well water at the park.
I have seen fathers raise their little ones high up in the air and heard them giggle. A father's trust begins when a child can always reach out to their dad. I guess I never realized how lucky I was to have a father practice baseball with me, teach me how to ride my bicycle, go boating, and fish. 
My dad never cooked a meal at home but always grilled outdoors during our summer picnics. For some reason, meals always tasted better when he made dinner. My memories include his hobbies, like collecting pennies and playing his guitar, accordian, or harmonica. 
This is not my father's guitar, but I thought about him
on the day I saw this guitar covered with pennies in an antique store. I
thought fondly of him while searching through old family photos
and other photos I took locally just for fun.
Last night I watched the old "Father of the Bride," movie with Spencer Tracy and a very young Liz Taylor. My thoughts floated to my own wedding and how important it was for me to lean on him while I walked down the aisle to get married on 6/26/71. I watched this movie I have seen many, many times before through my older eyes and forgot about how important my father was when I was growing up.
A few days ago, I passed a neighbor washing his truck outdoors with the garden hose. It reminded me of how my dad made a ritual of washing and waxing his car on a Saturday afternoon. This is what he enjoyed and how he got his weekly workout. I was always fascinated by his muscles when he waxed and thought his were bigger than Popeye the Sailor Man from cartoons. It's funny now that I think about it, I believed washing his car and taking my family for a drive in his sparkling clean car is what he was most proud of. Now, I am having second thoughts, perhaps, he was really proud of his family.
If you are fortunate enough to have a father, I hope you are making plans to do something special with your dad on Father's Day. And be sure to say thank you.
Comments (23)Subscribe to CommentsComment