A Day of Hands...

Father's day is a day of "hands" for me.

My father died in June of 2007, about a week and a half after father's day. I LOVED Daddy! He had a wonderful   sense of humor and was the most intelligent man I have ever met. His ability to learn to do whatever he set his mind to figuring out, was the most amazing thing about him. Present him with a problem, a task, a concept or any challenge and he would "chew-on-it" until he was able to successfully calculate, complete, build, engineer or produce a solution. Honestly, I do not remember a single time he was stumped. Now, to be honest, I have to also admit that he was human. He could be very short-tempered and he did not suffer fools well. But for me, he was the perfect father.

So, on the one hand, father's day is a painful reminder of what I lost that day in June, six years ago.

On the other hand, there is father's day with Haime. Haime is not the biological father to my sons, however, for the past 20+ years, he has been so much more than a step-father to them. He has offered support, opinions, pride, and direction to them. He has truly impacted the men they have grown to become. He has loved them as his own and never misses an opportunity to brag about how proud of them he is. So, on that hand, father's day is an opportunity to express my gratitude to Haime for being the "father" that he didn't have to be to my sons, just because he married me.

Then, on another hand, there is father's day with Chipper. Chip became a father about three and a half years ago. He is more patient with his son than I would have imagined he would be, based on his teenage-self that I raised. Chipper takes his father role very seriously

and is just as likely to spend hours reading stories or playing Lego's or redesigning train tracks or doing puzzles as he is to do anything else in his spare time. Again, to be honest, Mallory is a big reason that Chip is such a good dad. They are truly partners in their marriage and most importantly, in their parenting. It is such a treat for me to watch Chipper as he faces the daily challenges of parenthood. (Mostly it's fun being the personification for the saying: Children are spoiled because no one spanks Nana!).

You see, father's day is a mixed bag for me. My life is so much richer because of the influence these three fathers continue to have on my life. Eventually, if Boo decides to become a father, or if I am still  around (God willing) when/if my grandson does, I'm sure there will be more hands to consider on this special day.

Happy father's day guys! I love you all.

TTFN, 

Lois