A Father's Day Card

Happy Father's Day!

If you're one of the lucky ones that still has a father on Earth, go take him to lunch today or go see him and if you have kids, take a ton of pictures of them with their grandfather. If he lives far away, give him a call, even if he's not the easiest person to talk to. Lots of us can't do either of those things and would give our last dime to be able to have 5 minutes with them.

My Dad loved cards and although I don't spend every Father's Day all sad and depressed cause mine's gone, I do get a little twinge of wishing I could buy him one of those funny, somewhat off color cards he used to enjoy getting from me. In fact, I look at them every year, at the store, and in my mind decide which one I would get him if he were still around. It's not a big, dramatic deal, it's just something I do and then I laugh and thank him for passing along his wacko sense of humor to me, which often comes in handy.

One of my favorite Father's Day cards I've ever seen was not in a store and it was not even one I ever sent to Dad, but, one my Dad sent to his father in 1975. Back then, people still sent telegrams and my Dad's family often sent them when they wanted to say something extra special to each other. In it, Dad copied a poem he wrote to his father when he was 8 years old:


What do you think has happened now
I'm the proudest boy alive
For sometimes when we are out alone
My dad, he lets me drive
He showed me about the gears and things
a long long time ago
And he is always explaining out to me
the things a boy should know
Of course, when Mother is along
then Dad sticks to the wheel
She is nervous and gets scared
You know how women feel
My mother is a brick alright, she is the best by far
She mends and cooks and sews for me,
but Dad, he lets me drive the car.
June 10, 1935
Happy Father's Day, Dad. I still think you're the best. Love you.

I can't let my Father's Day post go without giving a big shout to my own Babys' Daddy, Mr. Smiff. Your babies and their mama do love you.

***Blogger isn't in the mood to let me upload so look over there <<< at my Flickr.