I look like my dad. People have told me that all my life. I have a picture from around age 10. I used to put my fingers over the hair on the picture to hide it completely. That’s when I first noticed they were right. If I were bald, I’d look exactly like my dad. But, I’m not the only one. My dad is an idential twin. I always thought that was so cool.

My father is a great story teller. He has a memory you just wouldn’t believe. He can recall to this day the names of his teachers and fellow classmates in grade school. He can tell of events as they unfolded with explicit detail. My dad tells great stories of the pranks he and his twin brother pulled when they were just boys. He always has us laughing.

My father has a wonderful sense of humor. I love that about him. He likes to tell jokes. He likes to lighten the mood. He looks for the joy in life. He still pulls pranks. I vividly remember sitting in the backseat of our family car with my sister when we were still kids. My dad and mother were up front. We were at a gas station back in the day when people were paid to pump gas for you. A young gas attendant approached my father after he had filled our tank. He told my dad the total owed. My father growled at the boy, “I don’t have to pay!” I watched as the kid backed away, confused and scared. My dad continued, “My name’s crime and crime don’t pay!” At that my father roared with laughter. The poor gas station attendant smiled weakly and accepted the cash my father handed him. My sister and I melted in the back seat. We just never knew when my father was going to do or say things to humor himself. We still don’t.

My father is an early riser. He wakes cheerfully, ready to greet the day. He used to wake us in the mornings by turning on the light and joyfully greeting us with various cliches over the years. Some of the ones I fondly remember are these:
Up and at ’em.
Rise and shine.
The early bird gets the worm.

My dad is very creative. He loves to write poetry. He writes poems about everything, many of them humorous. He memorizes his poems. My father can recite his poems, even ones he has written many years ago, with great dramatization. He often does, to the amusement of others.

My father is very friendly. He has never met a stranger. He knows just about everybody. He has a cheerful word for all he meets. He asks questions and gets people talking about themselves. He gets them talking about their lives. He makes people feel good. That is a gift. My father is a talker. He can talk with the best of them. He is very knowledgable on many subjects. He can converse on just about any topic. That amazes me.

My father is an encourager. He is an optimist. He likes to build others up. I remember him telling us we could do anything we set our minds to. He always complimented even our smallest efforts, giving us oonfidence to try other more challenging adventures.

My father has a great singing voice. Most every time we were in the car with my dad, he was singing. We didn’t listen to the radio. We listened to my dad sing. Sometimes we sang along. Mostly though he sang songs from his generation. Songs that were made popular in his day by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

At night, my sister and I would push our twin beds close together. My father would scratch our backs and sing us to sleep. He changed the words to a song Frank Sinatra sang about his daughter Nancy to include the words, Pam and Sandy instead. We loved that.

My father was a strict disciplinarian. He taught us to be respectful and polite. He taught us ‘chest out, shoulders back, stomach in’ while sitting at the dinner table. He taught us to take what we eat and eat what we take. He taught us ‘elbows off the table’. Dinner time rules were very important to my dad.

My father worked hard to support our family. Many times he worked 3 jobs. Yet, I remember him taking time out to take us 4 kids to the Library on Saturday mornings. Reading was important to my father. Still is. He wanted us to enjoy it as well.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of our family camping trips. I remember my father getting up extra early to prepare breakfast for all of us. I remember waking to the smell of bacon and eggs, cooked over a coleman stove. We never went on fancy, expensive vacations, but we didn’t need to. Those camping trips were the best.

Funny how much of an impact all of this has had on me. My father has been a big influence in my life. I admire him for who he is. I am blessed to have had such an amazing father for the past 51 years.

On this Father’s Day I just want to say thank you to my dad. Thank you for all you have done for me and for our family. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made and for the joy you have brought. Thank you for being a great father. I appreciate all you have done for us. I love you.