A Tribute To Fathers

Fathers everywhere are being celebrated this Sunday. I would like to join in with A Tribute To My Father. I know how lucky I was to have had the opportunity to grow up knowing the love my father had for me. As we celebrate Father’s Day,  hopefully we all have had a chance sometime in our lives to tell our fathers how much their love, nurturing and guidance has meant to us and how it helped make us who they are today.

My Father, My Daddy

My father was always my Daddy, not Dad or father and I loved him like most little girls love their father. He always joked that I was his special gift as I was born on Father’s Day, I was my Daddy’s little girl.

He was not a famous person, just an ordinary man who did his best in life. He served his country with honor and provided a good home for my mother, brother and myself, like most fathers do.

He was a gentle and kind-hearted man who I never heard complain about anything. He was a strict parent but in a loving way. I was brought up to be respectful of others, always saying “please, thank you, yes ma’am or yes sir and may I be excused”.  He always made sure that I apologized if I had done something wrong and taught me the importance of saying “I’m sorry” if I had hurt someone else’s feelings.

He was the person I knew I could go to with a problem because he was a good listener and gave good advice. He used to always say, “just because you are a girl, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it”. His encouragement is one of the things that has guided me though out my life.

My Daddy was special to me but also to so many others in his community. Everyone used to call him “the mayor” because of his commitment to the neighborhoods that surrounded our ranch in Texas. He seldom missed a County Commissioners Court meeting, he served as bailiff, and was a volunteer at the local hospital.

I’m lucky to have had a good father in my life. He is gone now but certainly will not be forgotten. I am lucky to have another man in my life that is special and that is my husband. He too, is a father whose children love him and will be remembering him on this special day.

I want to wish each father a “Happy Father’s Day”. Whether you spend the day at an outdoor barbecue with family and friends or perhaps playing a round of golf, I hope you enjoy your day. I’m sure your loved ones will be remembering you today.