Tempest in a Teapot

Dear Dad,

Well, it’s here at last: the big 6-0! Congratulations on making it this far. I’m sure raising three…um…spirited daughters did nothing to lengthen your life span, but here you are at 60. Amazing to think of all the technology changes that have happened in you lifetime: color TV, personal computers and now the ipod! How did people ever survive before all this?!

But back to YOU, dad. You were born 60 years ago today. You grew up and got smart – smart enough to marry mom and keep her, which brings us to ME. I have looked up to you for as long as I can remember. (and I don’t mean that just literally) You are my hero!

My favorite memories are of the long road trips when you & mom would play “Name that Tune” with the oldies station or when you would tell me about the old cars we’d pass on the highway. I was always so impressed you knew about them. In fact, I can STILL remember the guy who discovered Florida, Hernando de Soto, all because you said he was named after the car. Sure we tease you about making stuff up, but I’m pretty sure you knew what you were talking about around 70% of the time.

You taught me to drive stick in your old Honda Accord. You sent me to college AND helped me thru grad school. You bought me the first computer I ever saw, an IBM PC jr. I played countless hours of King’s Quest on that thing. You never yelled about report cards, you just expected that we did our best. You made sure we had a good home and provided for your family.

I am so lucky to have called you dad for the past 32 years. While I may not have necessarily been the best kid, you always were there to set a good example. You’ve loved me and stuck by me in spite of all my screw ups. Thanks for that. So, here’s to you – Happy Birthday!! May you have 60 more – and may each one bring you more joy.

love,
ME

me and dad in Peru, fall 2003.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 at 3:20 am and is filed under Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.