Father’s Day 2010
It is an odd sort of day for me... the first one I’ve ever been through were I couldn’t pick up the phone and call him. If I am honest with myself, his death affected me far more profoundly than I’d expected, especially when Nick and I realized that our mothers and stepfathers were growing older too. It is a strange and scary thing to be hit in the face with the thought of being the “end of your line” when you still feel so young at heart inside. Maybe that is why I hid from being out here in cyberspace for a while...
This year it was more important than ever for both of us to thank the other Dads in our lives, the stepfathers who have been there through thick and thin, especially over the past few months. They are more precious to Nick and I than we can sometimes put into words or find the right card for, but we really tried this year to let those wonderful men know that they were the fathers of our hearts!
There are many men in our lives who play important roles as nurturers, role models, guides along our path in life, teachers, protectors, providers and comforters. If this is a day when we celebrate those attributes and those special people in our lives, it should also be a day where we choose to celebrate our own inner strengths as well.
Nick has been away since early Thursday morning chaperoning the grade 8 trip for his school with some other brave teachers and parents. I have kept in touch with him by phone, but I have been the only adult in the house for 4 days now and I miss him very much. I have had to do quite a few things out of my comfort zone from BBQ meat to check the tire pressure and inflate a tire. Showing my girls how to pump gas or put the hubcaps back on teaches them that they can find their inner strengths too when they have to, as well as appreciate the men who so often handle those tasks.
Whether Father’s Day is a special one of joy or a sad marking of what is missing in your lives, I hope that you take the time to honour those in your life, regardless of gender, who made a difference and inspired you to greater things.
When we remember to tell the people who matter to us most how special they are, it is always a special day.
