Happy Father's Day!

Since it's Father's Day, I didn't want to neglect the chance to praise my dad, who retired about three weeks ago after almost 44 years of grueling factory work. I so appreciated his sacrifice to be diligent about going to work every day to a job that was not rewarding or fulfilling. As someone who too often makes choices based on what feels good at the time, I can't imagine the discipline it took for him to do that for not just 44 days but 44 YEARS. He had the potential to do many other things (including, in my opinion, being a good history teacher if his life had turned out differently), but he put us above his dreams. I have a lot of clients whose fathers don't make that choice; they continue to pursue their dreams at the expense of their families' needs or even like the stability of their finances or living environment, so I'm humbled by my dad's choice. It wasn't easy for him, I'm sure, by any means.

But I don't just appreciate his hard work. Some of my favorite memories include the times where he let loose and laughed or danced. I'll always be grateful to the columnist Dave Berry and the country singer Ray Stevens, who can make my dad laugh like few others can. I remember bringing home a picture of two horses sitting on their rear ends with their four legs straight out, facing each other, and how it made him laugh till he cried. Seeing him laugh until he cries is one of the best things in life! He used to take me mushroom hunting (apparently a regional thing since some friends have never heard of that before), and I am trying to pass on that tradition to Hannah because I loved that time with him. My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck because my dad can imitate his voice perfectly. I enjoyed watching Looney Toons with him on Saturday mornings, but I never caught on to his enjoyment of "The Waltons" and "Big Valley."

I remember riding in his truck with him and hearing him sing old country songs, which I always loved. My dad's got a good voice! When I was little, he had an accordion that he would play, and he could play our old organ, too. He also used to play the tuba and he's a good whistler. In other words, my dad's a musical guy! Whenever I hear the songs "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones, "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss, or "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton, I always think of him because of hearing him sing those in the car.

Dad would hit pop flies to me in the hard to help me (unsuccessfully) become a better softball player, and he took us on Sunday drives when we were little. He drove me around on the back of the three-wheeler we had on the farm, too. He tried to teach me how to drive a tractor, but when I poked the middle out of a round bale of hay, he quickly realized he wasn't raising a strong tractor operator. :)

He's a good bowler, and I always liked watching him bowl. He got his name in the paper a few times because of scoring near-perfect games (I think he bowled a 294 once, but I might be wrong). He took me bowling in high school once, just the two of us, for good grades on my report card. He came to watch me perform in half-time shows when I was in the flag corps in high school, and he bought me my first car when I was 16 so I could start my first job at McDonald's. He still gives me money if he thinks I need it, he comes to do odd jobs around my house, and he watches my dog when the rest of us go on vacation. He always was - and still is - free with saying "love you" at the end of a phone call or when we part ways. I love that about him. He's a good Papa to Hannah - fun and playful and silly with her. I love seeing that side of him!

Basically, my point is that he's a good dad.

So, Dad, Happy Father's Day! I love you and appreciate you BIG much!