Happy Father's Day

It’s late in the day and Science Guy and I have spent a very quite one together. Neither of our parents live here, nor do they close enough to drive to. Not even for a long drive. So we just enjoyed being together and relaxing.

Ahhhh….nice word, relaxing. Doing exactly what you want to do or doing nothing at all. Your choice. We don’t get many of those days, which makes them all the more sweeter.

My dad (actually he was my step dad, but the only dad I knew), passed away when I was in high school. He was one of the hardest working men I know. He worked six days a week, but on Sunday’s that was family time. There were many times we’d be woken up at 6:00 AM to grab the swimsuits and head out to Ft DeSoto, where my dad would cook breakfast on the grill and we’d play in the water. My home was the place where everyone came and at anytime. Dinner was at the same time each day, but mom really never knew how many might be gracing our dinner table. And the thing was she never complained.

I have a wonderful stepfather who has been in my life for about…well, a long time. He’s great and I love him dearly. I don’t have the fond memories of a child with him, but I do have the memories of watching my children grow up with him.

My sister and I were very lucky to also have Mommy and Daddy Beard. Beard, that was their last name. I guess you call them grandparents, but they were a second set of parents to us. They gave us unconditional love and we were above all blessed to love them and have them in our lives. They gave us stability and we knew what a loving home was. Daddy Beard was a retired Southern Baptist preacher and he loved to have a little argument once in a while. By little I really do mean little. In today’s world no one would even call it an argument. The thing is Mommy Beard would argue with him. She would calmly walk away. A few minutes would go by and he’d be fine.

Every night of my young life that was spent at their home, along with my sister, we read the bible. I know for some people reading this, you wouldn’t want to read the bible. But you see Mommy Beard had a third grade education and it was reading the bible that taught her to read. Daddy Beard would loving help her through words she didn’t quite understand.

And OMG, their fridge wasn’t frost free. So my sister and I would scrap the top ice and make slushies. Today, they’d tell us we were going to die due to the chemicals that had to be in that ice. But we didn’t die and those slushies were so good.

He also taught us to love nature and animals. We had so many pets with him, even a monkey. It was rather mean though and we finally had to give it to the zoo. And maybe the best part was we could make a mess as long as we cleaned it up. They loved us through being kids and doing what kids do.

For the dad’s out there, I hope this is has been the day you wanted. Watching the TV, playing games with the family, going to the movies, or just plain ole relaxing. You deserve this day. Your role in your children’s lives is a huge one and so today it’s your turn for us to say thank you for loving us, for scolding us when we needed it, and for giving us wings to soar and lettings us fall. You teach us what it means to hold a family together, to be safe in our homes, and work an honest day for an honest dollar.

To my Dad in heaven and to my Daddy Beard, thank you for everything, all the love, discipline, and just plain wanting more for us, demanding more of us then we thought we had in us. You taught us well and I for one will always your daughter and your granddaughter. You are the reason I can write the HEA. You both should us how it's done in your everyday life.

I love you both and Happy Father’s Day.

Vicki