Father's Day 2011

"Love is like a dying ember
Only memories remain.
And through the ages I'll remember...." -- Fred Rose


Remember the day you learned how to ride a bicycle.
Remember the day you learned how to throw a ball.
Remember the day you learned how to use a hammer -- and maybe a saw.


Who taught you how to plant a tree?
Who taught you how to paint?
Who taught you how to drive?


Who helped you rake the leaves?
Who helped you build your first fire (either camp or in the fireplace)?
Who helped you with your homework?


Do you know how to use a compass?
Do you know how to use a firearm safely? (See photo -- my Dad taught me to hunt.)
Do you know how to bar-be-que?


These are just a dozen experiences my father shared with me. No doubt many readers will identify. It's also likely that many readers will have shared these experiences not with their biological fathers, but step-fathers, other father-figures (uncles, brothers, cousins, family friends), or their mothers.


If this significant person in your life is gone now (either literally or figuratively), as is mine, perhaps we can share a moment in reflection and remember them today. Not a day goes by that I don't think of my father who died in 2005. In fact, my associates will tell you that I quote my father perhaps more than anyone else, except George Patton.


As I get older, the memories do remain and remind me of the love we shared.