I was blessed to have a dad/father/papa who taught me so much over the years. I have shared many stories via "life with papa" on my personal FB page. He was not a perfect man, as there is no such thing, but he did his best to provide for our family and pass on his ideals to my sister and I, and in turn, his grandchildren. He was a man of integrity, trust and honor.
My father did not graduate from high school as he decided in his senior year to join the Marines and go fight in Korea. My dad was in the Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve, National Guard and National Guard Reserves or 40 years. He always regretted not graduating high school so in his late 30s he went back to class and received his GED. After he left the Marine Corps (do ever truly leave?), he either studied or worked at: truck driving, photographer, bus driver, inspector for the T, computers (when they were first becoming popular), certified food manager, and I'm sure I missed something along the way.
I always thought of him as the disciplinarian, because of the words, "wait until your father gets home!" But it was truly my mom that was the disciplinarian. I only remember my dad spanking me twice and he felt so bad about it after that he brought me gifts. I think this is why my mom did the punishing.
When I was young, my dad worked up to five jobs at a time so my mom could stay home and take care of the house/family. When I was young we rented a cottage on Cape Cod for two weeks and my dad would work a side job to earn extra pay. I learned my work ethic from him as for many years I worked a few jobs at the same time.
He was a man who loved the simple things in life - hunting, fishing, camping. He enjoyed simple food whether cooking/baking or eating. I have many memories around food with my dad, although I learned to cook from my mom. I believe he has almost every kitchen gadget. He cooked many meals and baked many goodies over the years in the community where my parents lived. I have heard more stories from the neighbors about all he did for them.
His pride and joys were my sister and I. He was so proud of my sister and her accomplishments - three children and then she became a nurse. He was proud of me - although he never wanted me to move away; he was so happy with all I accomplished over the years. He loved and adored his grandchildren and would have done anything to help them reach their goals.
Of course, my father was proud and stubborn. The last few years of his life as his hearing and eyesight failed, he still tried to be as independent as possible. He wanted to stay in his house until he passed so we had quite the discussion of my staying with him. Over the last few years, he was surprised that I could cook good meals; drive like a pro (at least in the city); manage his house and needs, and also keep track of what was happening with my mom's care.
He was so disappointed when my mom got sick and had to be placed in a rehabilitation/nursing home for care. He understood why, but that did not make him happy. He went every day to visit her and check on her care. The only time my dad missed visiting was because he was in a different hospital because of broken bones; receiving cancer treatments; or weather did not permit a trip. If he was not there, he made sure one of us were there and he'd expect a full report.
As he neared the end of his life, I was blessed to hear him say how proud he was of me and to thank me for taking care of him. I made a few promises (that I fulfilled) about life after he passed. He taught me strength right up until his death.
I will say at this point, I have many stories and memories about my mom, but this year Mother's Day hit me hard and I could not write about it; I was stuck. I'm sure next year or perhaps another Sunday you'll get a story.
There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of my dad. There is so much more I could write about, but I'll leave it here.
For those of you that are father's or will father's in the future; please remember you are teaching and encouraging the next generation. Your actions, deeds, words, and beliefs will be passed on one way or another. I hope you create many memories - Happy Father's Day!