I hope it doesn't make me seem too predictable that I've written to you on the same date for the last few years. Just my little way of honoring you. It's the least I can do.
I can already tell that I probably won't have as much to say this year. Guess I feel like I'd be boring you, telling you what you already know. But you're a good dad and a patient one. Just give me a "yah, yah" and it'll be fine.
Let's see...where to begin...
Well, my "baby" graduated high school! It was a busy year, to be sure, but graduation day still seemed to sneak up on me. Seems like the first day of kindergarten wasn't all that long ago. Did you see how I displayed all of his daycare and school pictures? From birth to graduation...they grow up so fast. He sure looked spiffy in his cap and gown, didn't he? I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, but that wasn't for lack of pride and love.
Sadly (for us), you've got more company with you this year. They say you and M are golfing together. I guess I was too young to remember you golfing much. But whatever you two are up to, I know you'll have fun. I'll make one surprise run to the refrigerator for you if you'd like. ;-)
As expected, high-school graduation was followed by sending my "baby" off to college. He's four hours away, so the first visit was at Thanksgiving. Three months without seeing him, but we did just fine. And he'll be home again soon for the winter break. Thank goodness for texting and chat/email so we can stay in touch on a fairly regular basis (without me "hovering"). I don't know how you put up with me back in the day when all we had were collect calls and letters (we know how well I did with those).
That leads me to something I've learned this year. Well, maybe I learned it a long time ago, but I've finally admitted and acknowledged it to myself. Now that I'm 50 and becoming an empty-nester, I'm actually starting to understand and appreciate you and Mother more fully! Oh, there's plenty of things I'll never "get" and other things I won't agree with, but things are beginning to make sense. You'd think I'd have seen things from your perspective more when I first became a parent. But when I was a child, I had no interest in knowing what your thought process was. (That sounds terrible when I say it out loud, but you know what I mean!) But now I can imagine what you might have felt like at my graduation. I can guess what it was like when you dropped me off at college. And I can hope that you were as excited to see me when I came to visit. No, I know you were that excited, because you're my dad. We just show it in different ways. (I think we're all still trying to adjust to that concept of visiting a place that always was and always will be home.) And the reasons change, but a parent never really does stop worrying about their child, do they. We raise them the best we can, but someday we just have to let them do what they need to do. I could relate especially well to the bird that built a nest on our porch this year. (Did you have anything to do with her choosing that site?)
I guess that's all part of being a parent. Grandma and Grandpa probably didn't understand you, you perhaps didn't understand us, and there are certainly times I don't understand my
OK, I know it's a day "early," but I think I'll post this now before bedtime. That seems to be my usual method of writing. Just get it all out while I'm thinking of it and let it go. Otherwise I'll be endlessly tweaking it. I can always edit if something else comes to mind.
Merry Christmas, Daddy.
03/03/32 - 12/12/10
2011 Letter to Dad
2012 Letter to Dad
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