Father's Day

Today is a day that I haven't really celebrated for the better part of ten years. I do not have the greatest relationship with my father, mostly by my own fault. Yet, no matter where I go on this day usually church or something I hear on tv reminds me of lots of things and important a role that position is, even if they're not around currently in your life.

In my opinion of my own experience of life you are always growing and changing. However, I've counted at least three times in your life when you do fairly large changes that define what happens in the next portion of your life: childhood, adolescence, and "adulthood". I use "" because really, when are we ever adults hmm? I have yet to figure that out.

My own relationship with my father pretty much tapered out as I was getting into adolescence, or in other words around when I was 16. There have been moments here and there in the last ten years, but its never been the same since then. There were many important life lessons that should have been taught by a father that I had to learn otherwise and things like that. Again, a lot of that is mostly by the hands of my own pride why it turned out that way, but that's beside the point. Childhood was a different story. I don't recall too much of it, as nobody really can, but I do recall learning important things that have defined the rest of my life and onwards because of those foundations through him. Here are a few that I'm grateful for, both big and small:

-Learning to read
-learning to ride a bike
-the basics of physical activity and sports
-being encouraged to draw and write
-being taught how to write well
-learned a lot about history
-learned a lot about our family history
-was always taught to "listen to your mother"
-always being encouraged to keep trying
-having someone to not only proofread my papers, but walk through it with me and make me decide what needs to change in it
- never paying me to do chores or mow the lawn, I was just expected to do it. Which is something I value today very much
-always taught to never discriminate, especially race.
-"if there's one kind of person I don't like in life its jerks. Don't ever be a jerk"
listening to me drone on and one about whatever toy or show I was obsessed with at the time and never make me feel like i was wasting anyone's time, even though I know he didn't really care what I was talking about nor take interest in it.
-doing the same thing by playing video games with me on occasion when nobody else would

and many others that I'm sure I could list onwards for.

While we may not see eye to eye anymore, nor really speak, nor really get along, I believe these are just some of the check marks of good loving father, even if I cant really recall it ever being said to me face to face.

Actions speak louder than words sometimes.