Sunday, June 21, 2009

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Happy Father's Day

I awoke this morning with the excited anticipation of getting a phone call from Ian. Once I looked at the clock, I realized he wouldn't be calling me anytime soon, as it was already 10:00 a.m. his time. For those who don't know, Ian works from 11:00 p.m.until 7:00 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. he would have already been asleep.

So I decided to check my email, which is part of my normal waking up routine. In the email was a beautiful card from John, in the Philippines, (Thank you John), and a card from Ian. I opened the card from Ian to be greeted by scenes from Star Wars with the "galaxy far away" titles flashing through. Whoever thought of making a father's day card from Star Wars was pretty inventive. I never pictured Darth Vader as a realiable example of fatherhood, but there was the proof right before my eyes. It instantly brought a smile to my face.

Then I read the note Ian wrote at the end. Please bear with me as I share this with you:

"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. I'll always be with you. I love you dad!" Ok, that was enough to bring me to tears.

As a Dad I have tried to set the example of what a loving father should be to his son. I have been critical even when my heart wanted to praise him, I've been stern although I wanted to laugh, I have corrected him when all I wanted to do was cry with him. Being a dad is never easy. There's no manual. There is only the one hope that a true dad has; that in spite of everything he does or fails to do, his child will grow up to be a loving, strong, independent, and good hearted person.

I have witnessed this with my son. In spite of all the dreams that I had for him; he has followed his own drummer. He has grown into the man I had hoped he would be. He is strong in his convictions, loving in his actions towards others, committed to doing what he knows is right and yet understanding and accepting of others who do not see things his way. He follows his dreams with the passion of an artist. And above all, he is true to himself.

Now, if he could only remember to call me more often, I would be a happy man.

On the lighter side of my day......I saw four goldfinches today. Yes, count 4 of them. Ok, that may not seem like much, but I haven't seen a goldfinch in over 10 years. When I was a child I would always be delighted to see their flash of yellow dancing in and out of the tree branches. They were rare sights in New York and Maryland, so to see 4 of them today really brightened my day. I raced to grab my binoculars in order to get a close up view. (God, I love binoculars) Lord only knows what my neighbors were thinking as I was focusing in on the birds. At this point, who cares....I saw 4 goldfinches!!!