Comments from Chris: A Father’s Day tale

It’s been a while since I’ve really sat and thought about my Dad. More than 34 Father’s Days have passed since I last saw him.

With the passing of each year the image and memories get a little fuzzier, become slightly larger than what they were. You think of the good times and wish you could share just one last little bit of daily trivia with the man who guided you into adulthood.

You see, my Dad and his wife, not my mother, were tragically killed in an automobile accident more than 34 years ago. The man who caused the accident was high on drugs; he walked away. I never went back to find out what happened to him in the court system or in his life. I’m a firm believer in what goes around comes around and I’m positive he will get his “coming.”

The years have passed, I’ve gone down memory lane, relived the fun times, mourned the loss of fatherly advice. But what made this year different than others? I’ve moved forward with my life and I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far.

A package of pictures came in the mail the other day. They were from family friends of my childhood. The parents and the kids played and worked together for many years and then separated through time and travel to different living and working places. But the pictures remained in the back of someone’s desk drawer.

They were kindly delivered to me with the sentiment that “I might like to have them.” What a wonderful gift!

I was transported back in time. I was a little girl and I was “Daddy’s girl.” All through high school he was there to listen to me, there to counsel me in the matters of cars, jobs and how to best live my life. He was there when I started college and supported me in my decision to leave college for a while. He trusted that I would go back.

He never saw me graduate from college; he never saw me marry; he never had to see me stumble; he never watched me in the career that I chose. Yet, I know that he still trusts my decisions and is proud of me.

I am now older than him when he and his wife died in that auto accident. I am now able to get a glimpse of what he saw when he was looking at me. How I wish that I could just have the one more moment to tell him how much I respected and admired him.

Of course this brings me around to the upcoming Father’s Day.

I want to tell you to hold him close, tell him you love him and be grateful you have him. He doesn’t even have to be family, but he’s a Dad to you.

But Dads, do something for yourselves — look into your children’s eyes and let them know how proud you are of them and cherish the time you have with them. And do the same for all of your family.

What you as a father — the leader of your family — give in love to your family, will be returned many times over. And, you’ll be building memories that will last a lifetime for yourself and the ones you love.