Hey, its Fathers Day weekend. I’m a proud father. My gift is my children, the best any father could hope for. Not just on fathers day but every day of the year. Not just some years but every year. The relationships get stronger and the love grows deeper. I thank them for their love and patience with me.

I miss my own father (above left). I always have but in very different ways over the years. I was crushed by his passing before I hit double-digit age. I didn’t understand death and to lose the male leader of the family left me rudderless. I had no confidence as a youth. I made a lot of poor decisions. I took way too many risks and was lucky to have survived.

I was mad at him for leaving for a number of years. I got beyond mad and was disappointed because I saw how alone my mom was. Then I got to the point where I wanted to visit but couldn’t. I tried driving to the cemetery a number of times but just couldn’t make it through the entrance. It brought back that horrifying memory of his military funeral. Few images of my youth can even get close to that. But in the last decade, I’ve grown at peace with his passing when my mom passed.

This is also the first time in 4 decades that I haven’t had a father-in-law. His passing a few weeks ago made it a somber weekend. I hope he and my father are trading stories. We miss you both. We will keep your memories alive and well in our hearts and through shared stories.

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Random Thoughts of the Day

• Summer is here. Now the daily decision, flip flops, or barefoot?
• Sometimes you just run out of energy. Well, I do.
• Till a rooster moved in behind us I never knew they could be so annoying.
• I think I just heard a gasket blow in DC today.
• I see NASCAR fans are having trouble accepting the ban on the confederate flag. And to show you how far this country has to go someone put a noose in Bubba Wallace garage at this weekend’s race. Bubba I believe is the only black driver on the pro circuit. Massive progress can still be made but some people will never change.