Father's Day 2026

Happy Father's Day, Dad. There are so many things I miss about you. Your wry smile, your quiet strength, your strong dedication to your family.

Never a day goes by that I don't think about you. I don't think you ever really knew how much of an influence you had on me. Your strong work ethic was an example of what was needed to be successful as a person. 

You taught me that a person can survive struggles that life attacks them with. Your ability to accept the fact that you were losing your leg to circulation issues after three bypass attempts, almost made me think you were superhuman. I'm not sure how I would've dealt with that kind of pain and suffering at your age and all just shortly after you retired. Your strength and faith in God and the support of your family helped, but you were the one to ultimately deal with all the pain you went through. 

Today I think more about you because of all the division in our world. You believed in morality, faithfulness, equality, and, from what I saw, skin color wasn't something used as an indicator of who a person is.

Miss you, Dad. You were the rock of our family and someone who always stood up for what's right. You never judged me even if you didn't understand me and who I was. That meant a lot to me. Your love was unconditional. It always was. Just know that I will always love you and will keep your life lessons and love in my heart.

 

Mother's Day 2026

 Another Mother's Day that is a mixture of emotions. I still miss Mom on a daily basis. Loved her unconditional love, her ability to be open minded when it was hard to do so, and her general joy of life and her deep love of family.

 

Mom was the rock of our family. She was caring, abundantly forgiving, and embodied her Catholic faith in all aspects of her life.

 

She didn't judge people, consider people less than because of their race or their beliefs, or ever show anyone disrespect. She was the embodiment of love thy neighbor, which is everyone.

 

Mom had a great sense of humor and was always willing to laugh at herself and some of her silly antics. She was also the sounding board for so many of my family members over the years. Everyone respected her opinion and benefited from her wisdom. 

 

I will always miss my Mom and what she brought to our family. Sometimes I wonder what the family would be like if Mom were still around. No doubt we would be better people. 

 

Happy Father's Day 2023

 Although I miss my Dad every day, Father's Day makes the intensity of his loss even stronger. I sat in church yesterday thinking about the blessing the priest gave on all fathers living and deceased. It made me think of the times when the family would go to Mass en masse (fancy word for the large presence of my family), and what a solemn and respectful time it was.

Well, most of the time. I still remember sitting next to Dad in church when I was 7 or 8 and being somewhat bored but sitting quietly while the priest gave his sermon. Dad looked down at me and reached over to pick lint off my Sunday pants. Knowing how intensely ticklish I was, after he pretended to brush lint off a spot, he suddenly grabbed my knee, which made me burst out laughing as well as almost jump out of my seat. I looked up at Dad who put his index finger up to his lips to let me know to be quiet, all the while having a mischievous grin on his face.

There are so many things I admire about my Dad besides his dry sense of humor. His respect and love for my Mother, the quiet affection he gave to his kids, his empathy, and general morality of what is right and wrong. There are many examples of how Dad lived his life fostering the physical and spiritual well-being of his family and helping others. 

I know that his example (and Mom's) made me the person I am today. All because of being raised by an amazing Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Miss you every day.

Father's Day 2022

 This amazing man inspired me to be the best person I could be. His example of discipline, love, empathy, and caring gave me the basis for how I should live my life. I haven't done that perfectly, but who has, and Dad's shoes were big ones to fill.

He was a strong and quiet man but always tried to do the right thing. I'm not sure what brought up the one conversation we had, but Dad told me about defending a Black coworker friend that had shown up one evening to talk and have a beer. 

While they were sitting on the porch, Dad said a KKK member approached and demanded that the Black man go with him (referred to him in the typical KKK way). Dad told the KKK member that his friend was not going with him. The guy got angry and Dad finally picked up a bat and told the guy to get the he** out of there. The KKK guy fled.

Back in the 50s, there could be serious consequences from standing up to a KKK member. Dad did the right thing, and I was surprised I had never heard that story before. But, like I mentioned, he was a quiet man and always tried to do the right thing. I think my respect and love for him grew even a little more after hearing that.

I miss my Dad every day. I am grateful for the example he provided to me and serves me well to this day.

Happy Father's Day in heaven, Dad. I Love you!

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Sister, Suzie, Who Passed Away in 1979 (March 2023 posting on FB)

 Today is my older sister, Suzie's birthday. She died in 1979 at the age of 34 leaving three beautiful daughters and a loving husband behind. This isn't the only day I remember her. I don't think a day goes by that I don't think about her

She was such a vibrant, caring, loving, smart, funny, and beautiful person. I was always flattered that she seemed to have a close connection to me in spite of our age differences.

She taught me how to dance when I was fairly little and took me to the local teen hangout to "show me off", which made me both embarrassed and proud.

When she had her kids--Amy, Theresa, and Christy--she had me babysit with them often, and those are some of my best memories of growing up. I felt honored that she and Jerry trusted me with such precious babies.

Suzie always looked out for me and there were few things that I didn't feel comfortable sharing with her. She never judged, and she offered her opinion only if asked. I appreciated that.

She had such style and grace in adversity and faced her Cancer diagnosis far better than I think I would have. She always smiled, was kind, and remained devout to her faith. I always admired her strength.

I think, most of all, I miss our conversations, our sharing funny stories, her laughter, her honesty, and her devotion to her family. There is an empty place in my heart where my sister used to be. She's still with me, but I selfishly would prefer being with her in person again and enjoying each other's company.

May she rest in God's eternal peace.

Happy Birthday, Suzie!

Mother's Day 2022

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom in heaven. She passed away in 2005 and not a day goes by that there isn't something that reminds me of her. If I'm having a particularly bad day, I just have to look at the picture of Mom and Dad and it seems to remind me of how much I was and am loved by them.

I really miss the heart to heart talks Mom and I used to have, how much fun she was to tease and to make her laugh. And her laugh was such a joyous thing that it always seemed like a gift whenever I heard it.

Mom always had strong opinions but she seemed to mellow some as she got older. There were times we disagreed about some things, but we settled into a pattern of agreeing to disagree and respecting each other's opinions. Not so much the case when I was in high school (I was wise beyond my years--or so I thought).

She was a great influence in my life. She taught me to care about everyone--young, old, all races, and all religions. Her basic belief was to treat others as you would treat yourself, no matter who that might be.

I'm not sure what she would think about the world we live in now. I think she would be shocked and dismayed at how selfish and self serving that a lot of people have become. There were a couple times, years ago, that she commented about maybe living too long to deal with changes that were happening in society. Hearing her say something like that made me panic a little bit inside. It may be selfish on my part, but I would give anything to have her in my life now.

Mom was such a wonderful example of what a person should be, and she lived her life loving and caring about all she came in contact with.

I strive every day to understand and accept people for who they are. Most of that open-mindedness is due to my Mom and Dad. I think it is one of the greatest gifts that she bestowed on me.

Love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Father's Day 2021 Tribute to My Dad

Happy Father's Day to my Dad in Heaven. Miss him every day. He accepted me for who I was, even though he didn't understand why I was "different." He was a strong, quiet, hard-working Father and his love for family was very important to him. He sometimes had trouble connecting with me and sometimes me with him. I regret the years that we both could've tried a little harder but, with Mom telling all of us that we need to express our love with a hug and the actual words, I actually got comfortable hugging my Dad. Thinking back, it was a little forced on both our parts at first. It was something that neither of us was used to and was a little awkward for awhile.

I think the ultimate honest expression was when I went to hug Dad before I left to return home one evening and he wrapped his arms around me and said, "I love you" and then continued to hold me even though I started to stand up to leave and he wouldn't let go. I settled into his hug for about a half minute and felt myself smiling and getting a little teary eyed.

I always knew my Dad loved me. I just wondered whether I had disappointed him. That hug and his words seemed to make all my doubts disappear.

I've heard stories about Dad's who had trouble expressing love and affection to their kids. Some of it was generational and some of it was just an inability to let themselves express what they actually always felt. I will always be grateful for that evening when my Dad embraced me and said the words, "I love you." It's probably the best gift he ever gave me--that and being my Dad.

Happy Father's Day Dad. I love you.