Reflections on my dad

Father's Day was yesterday, and I took the kids over to my parents' place for a visit. I find it hard to believe that he's 77 years old. It really makes you realize that every day is something to treasure. I've always felt a bit resentful that my parents were older than was typical back when they were starting their (our) family. But now it's not so much resentment, but rather panic that has set in, thinking about their mortality. The joy of having kids is bittersweet in a sense...you celebrate their milestones and birthdays and yet each event brings a sense of your own age and that of your parents. Anyway, this is getting depressing so I'll change course a bit...here is a tribute to my Dad.

When I was 6, I broke my leg skating. Dad and I were out together, not sure where my sister was but my mom stayed home. I think Dad was in more pain than me when we heard the "snap" of my tibia. Well, maybe not. But he was trying so hard to be calm and gentle with me while he ran across the field with me in his arms, to get me to the car, skates still on my feet.

When I was 10, my dad and I were out cross country skiing together in a remote forest. My dad slipped, fell down, and proceeded to turn whiter than the snow. He'd broken his ankle. I was in a panic. If I left him alone in the snow to get help, I might get lost, and the cellphone hadn't been invented yet. My dad somehow managed to ski on one leg, holding on to me, all the way to the car...which he then drove with his LEFT foot all the way home, with not a word of complaint. It turned out the break was so bad it required surgery to insert pins into the bone.

When my mom went through chemo last year and we weren't exactly sure how things would turn out, my dad was there for her that made me so proud, and so very envious of the kind of selfless heart that he has.

My dad is a very quiet man. He never asks for anything, but he gives everything. And he does it in a way that's so understated. Not to put too serious a spin on him, because he's also got a fantastic sense of humour and can be hysterically funny. His jokes and limmericks really aren't all that great, but he cracks himself up to the point of tears streaming/silent/shaking laughter, which of course gets everyone else going.

OK,well that's not nearly good enough, but for a blog post I think it's a start. I love my dad dearly and hope that the best of him has found its way to me. Happy Father's Day, Dad!