I have an amazing Dad. Since I got married last July, I have lived far away from him. There have been many times this past year I have wished there weren't so many miles between us. I think of all the things he taught and the things he tried to teach me, but I had a hard time learning. One example of the latter, is driving a stick shift. It just doesn't happen for me. As far as the things he did teach me go, there are so many examples. For instance, I can actually check my oil and most of my basic car fluids. He also taught me most of what I know about finances, the economy, and a lot about politics. He gave me a love airplanes that turned out to be a pretty important thing. If I hadn't been taken to air shows, shown the F-117 video, and taught to look up every time a non commercial plane flies overhead, I might not be such a good UPT spouse. Those early years and all the memories he and my mom talk about helped me know about bases, protocol, and lots of random plane facts.
My Dad, along with my mom showed me what it means to love your child with unconditional love. Throughout my life, my Dad encouraged me to do achieve success and not sell myself short. He helped me with my math homework and made me feel better when I had to drop my Junior High art class. I was getting a terrible grade from a very judgmental teacher. My Dad shared a similar college experience with me that made me feel that I was not a loser for being unable to get a good grade in art. My Dad told me that I could be anything I wanted when I grew up. He didn't care if my career meant making tons or no money. My Dad just wanted me to take advantage of opportunities presented to me and to find a life that would make me happy. My Dad also sacrificed many Saturday of my High School years to judging at my Forensics tournaments. I think I'll stop on this topic here because there are so many examples of how my Dad loved me that I could blog forever.
My Dad also taught me how to love when it's hard to love. My Dad and I have not always had the most fantastic and smooth of relationships. I'm not sure if I went back, if I could change my reaction and my attitude, but I sure wish I could sometimes. Since we can't rewind life, I just did the next best thing. That was trying to make up for those years by loving my Dad even more. The thing is, it worked. I'm so much closer to my Dad now that I'm an adult and we have both have our space. Someday, I hope we live a lot closer to each other. For now, phone calls, emails, and cards will have to do.So, to honor my Dad, I'm posting a picture of another thing he taught me about. That is Star Trek. I myself am a TNG fan, but this is a picture of Leonard Nemoy being visited by his son on the set of the original Star Trek. Here is to all the nights we put the cutlass cruiser into cloaking mode!
So, Happy Father's Day to the best Dad in the World!
