Everything's Quiet on Almost Father's Day

 Ah -- FD, the po relation of Mother's Day. But still, it's nice we, the members of the critical mule pack, get recognition with a holiday.

My beloved father used to love to sing the ditty "Every day is Mother's Day for me," from an old song, whenever my Mom would say how lucky she was. And I feel the same way about FD.

My approach to this Daddy thing has been to, first of all, try to emulate as much as I can the way my own beloved Dad was to his kids. He truly lived for us -- returning from WW II and working 3 jobs to provide for my Mom and two sisters. Later, when I came along, money was fortunately less of an issue, and he got to spend a lot of time with me and my sisters and his grandkids.

I was the luckiest. My sisters became grown ass women, and I was finishing high school, and Mom prevailed upon Dad to retire and move to South Florida. Dad then prevailed upon me to follow them to the 305 (back then even Palm Beach County was the 305) and I did, and it turned out to be a wonderful move -- I fell in love first with a university and the city in which it was and made a set of brothers and sisters who have been the base rock of my life. Oh yeah -- it also allowed me to meet the woman who would become my wife, and give me the two most precious gifts I was ever given: my Ds.

I love two sayings about fatherhood. The first is from Sidney Poitier, who, it so happens, was born in Miami: The measure of a man is how he takes care of his children." The second comes from Don Vito Corleone, the fictional Godfather: "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." I've lived them both, as well as I can, and being a father, and now grandfather, defines me as a human.

We're celebrating FD today, one day early. D1 is coming with the beautiful boy, and elderly Spaniel. He will toddle through the house, talking like Pebbles Flintstone, as his mother used to. A bit later on D2 is due over with her enormous puppy. 

Wifey, back driving again after the wonderful recovery, will go fetch some food from Joanna's.

I thought my sons in law were going to be busy -- Joey playing golf, and Jonathan working, but they're coming in the afternoon for a celebratory FD cocktail. I think tomorrow they'll get to spend time with their own wonderful Dads.

I'm constantly reminded the need to savor each day. Our dear friend Elizabeth, the picture of health, died in her sleep several weeks ago. Wifey still grieves. Earlier this week I learned the best college friend of a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with brain cancer. He's getting aggressive treatment, and is up beat, but based on every one of those journeys I know, barring a true medical miracle, he won't be walking among us more than 2 years from now.

Just like that! In a New York minute, as Don Henley sang, everything can change.

So today, I will hug my Ds and the beautiful boy close, and tell them how much I love them, and how gratified I am that my life has been focused on them, and seeing my beautiful baby girls grow into beautiful and amazing young women.

Yes, I am one, to borrow from the Boss, very, very blessed rockin' Daddy in the USA.