To My Father

TO MY DAD
HAPPY FATHERS DAY

What possess a man to give up his blissful and quite bachelor paradise to move into a house and marry a women with two children? What posses that man to nurture and love these ornery, orphan girls, no matter what kinds of trials and tests they throw at him. What possess a man to give up that great car and other decadent bachelor possessions to finance swim lessons, dance lessons, girls scouts, horses, ski lesson, rainbow girls, and prom after prom? And what possess a man to give his wife yet another beautiful baby girl to entertain and amuse the family. There is no logical explanation - just love -- pure uncomplicated love. It started first with his wife. She was easy to love. Sweet and beautiful, always a smile on her face and a song (usually Elvis) in her heart. Despite the girls reluctance to love a man again, because the one they had first called Daddy had left and never came back, they grew to love the him. He taught them it was safe and good to love a man. He taught them that real Daddies stay - no matter how rotten the girls were to him. He had to be strict and mean - but he always loved and they always knew it.

Children never realize this until they are parents themselves. They remain perpetual rebelling teenagers. Complaining about what they didn’t have and how strict their parents were----- until that magical day when their own children look them in the eye and scream “I hate you, you are so mean!”

Or when they too have introduced a step-father into their children’s lives. Then they see a man struggling to fit in, survive and teach these ungrateful children about life. They watch, (as Wives), the sacrifices and heartache their new husband experiences trying to love and guide these kids that are afraid to love a man. The Wife finally sees what kind of man it takes to stick with the unpaying, expensive, and difficult job of being a Step-Dad.

So Dad, I thank you for the love, the patience, the hope and most of all the perseverance that you have consistently showed me. No matter how rotten I was.

You are a HERO and I LOVE YOU!!!!
Happy Fathers Day