REMEBERING MY DAD ON FATHERS DAY

My dad was my hero! I remember as a kid I called him daddy, then as I grew older it was just dad. As a teenager we clashed and I sometimes just did not talk to him at all! But he was always there for me and the tough guy that he was, he would hug me and tell me he loved me every chance he had! And of course whenever it was just the two of us, he let me know "I was his favorite". I later found out my sister was also told she was his favorite!

I am so glad to have had the oportunity to know him as an adult. There was always a part of him I really did not know. That secret inner part of his soul that was a soldier fighting for his country, a purple heart recipient and a rebel. A part of his life he never really wanted to talk about with his children, but was shared by his soldier buddies and my mother.
About the only times he would talk about that part of his life with us kids were the funny stories. Like the time a Babboon tore up the camp! His face always bore the scars from shrapenal of a grenade the enemy threw into a fox hole he and his two best friends were crouched in. Both his friends died that day, and he wore the memory on his face. There were many times during his time overseas he stared death in the face, but somehow God allowed him to come home, and hence his two miracle daughters were born!

When I was growing up I always thought we were rich! Looking back now I know we were actually poor and sometimes my dad was working two jobs just to keep us maintaining our middle class existance. He worked as a police officer for a while. He always wore his uniform and badge with such pride and integrity! He always wanted to help people, and make sure the bad guys were off the street. Then a motorcycle accident while on duty ended his carreer, but he never gave up!

He was always one to stand up and fight for what was right. My dad would never back down when he knew he was right, and neither will I!

No matter what tragedy life threw at my Dad he always seemed to bounce back and his family always came first in his life! He is missed terribly, I am so proud to have had the honor to call this man my "dad"!