A Father’s Influence

Today my dad would have been 94 years old.

Dad passed away in 2007, but I feel his presence every day.

I shared in my eulogy to Dad some of the things I loved about him.

With the blessing of my dad’s blue eyes, I see so much of my dad in me.

Some good – and okay, maybe some not so good.

My Love for Reading

Dad believed strongly in the value of reading. I can still hear my Dad telling one of my brothers ~

I don’t care what you read, just as long as you read something.

And when my brother turned that plea into comic books, my dad fully supported his choice. You see Dad was wise enough to know that eventually my brother’s love of reading would evolve. And it did.

I have always loved reading.

Today, reading continues to be my preferred form of entertainment.

My Love of Sports

My dad was a professional baseball player – until the War broke out and he left baseball behind to serve his country.

Between my mom (a HUGE sports fanatic) and my dad, it is no big surprise I love sports.

• I played softball, volleyball, and basketball in school
• I took up racquetball when it was all the rage in the early 80s
• Now, my “sport” is walking – and more than the 3-Day Walk for the Cure

And, of course, I live and die by my beloved sports teams – Go Irish! Go Chargers! Go Lakers!

My Love for Family

If you knew my dad, you knew he was all about family. Everything he did was for his family.

Mom has often told the story of how as a young man, my dad quit a job out of total frustration with the situation.

Perhaps that was history repeating itself when I quit corporate life in a less than proud moment.

I told you not all of my emulation is good.

As Mom tells us, when Dad calmed down, he realized he had a family to feed, and he needed that job. He swallowed his pride, apologized, and asked for his job back.

Trust me, as someone who inherited that pride, that was not an easy thing for my father to do.

He got his job back, and never was out of work a day in his working life. And I am quite certain he had more than the occasional frustration on the job.

His devotion to my mom was ever-lasting. Only his death ended their over 60 years of marriage, although it endures in my mom’s heart as she turned 90 this year.

My Love of Solitude

My dad traveled extensively for work.

• He had his hotel room searched when he traveled behind the Iron Curtain
• He attended meetings in Bogota, Columbia that were all in Spanish (Dad spoke fluent Spanish)

For all his worldwide travel (or perhaps because of), and his status as a father of seven, my dad loved his solitude.

We used to laugh over his ability to tune out the world around him, and to concentrate on what he was doing. Especially when he was reading.

We joked a bomb could go off and he wouldn’t notice.

• I don’t view solitude as lonely
• I view solitude as being comfortable being alone

There is a huge difference

When I moved out on my own in my 20s, I discovered many of my friends had difficulty being alone.

They may have lived alone, but they did not enjoy being alone.

I loved it, and craved time for my periods of solitude. Just like my dad.

I am a funny, wonderful combination of both my mom and dad. That often confuses my friends.

• At times, I’m extremely social (thank you, Mom)
• At other times, I crave solitude (thank you, Dad)
• And I can be very stubborn (thank you, Mom AND Dad)

On this day that honors my dad’s birth, I recognize the tremendous influence he had on my life. And for that, I will always be grateful.

Thank you, Dad. I love you and miss you.

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Live…Laugh…Love