Legal Quandary

Friday, November 17, 2006

Thoughts

Today would have been my dad's 64th birthday. Right about the time he got sick, my dad started asking if there was a chance we'd move to where we are now. He was talking about retiring and he planned to move to the house in Fort Wayne - only a 3 hour drive away from us. I can't help but think that if things had been different, the kids and I would have jumped in the car this morning and headed out to celebrate with him.

Those of you who've been hanging around LQ for a while know that my relationship with my dad was pretty rocky for much of my life. I ran away from home at 13. And stayed in a foster home for 3 years. My parents didn't attend my high school graduation. Or my college graduation. Or my first wedding. I didn't speak to my father for nearly 3 years. Then he advised me, after showing up unannounced on the afternoon of EC's birth, to leave Roundboy. I didn't even tell my father - a retired Air Force Major - that I was joining the Air Force. He found out from my mom. But we reconciled enough when he paid a surprise visit to me during Officer Training School that he even returned to commission me. Something I couldn't help but remember when another Air Force Major swore me back into the Air Force last week.

The thing is...none of this matters now. My dad is gone and over a year later, I still really miss him. He drove me crazy and could me madder than anyone else on Earth, but I still wish that my kids could have known him better. For that matter, I wish I could have known him better.

Happy Birthday, Daddy
I love you and miss you