In Support Of The Cheesy Handmade Card

(I've done them before, when I was down on my luck and couldn't even afford a .99 card. But this year, I thought, well. I don't like any of the cards. So, I drew a picture, just like a 6 year old. And then I wrote this, just like a seven year old. And then I gave it to him. He choked up and almost cried. So, I felt really bad. But, all in all, I remain in favor of the cheesy hand made cards. What would yours say?)

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

This Father’s Day, we have no grand, generalized, sweeping,

sentiments for you. What is special are the small, very unique

ways you showed us your love. How important it was

for you to express your creativity by handcrafting important

messages for us to hold onto our entire lives, such as

“Think!” or “Your serenity is in the hands of the next

person who makes you angry.” You spoke calmly with us

when we misbehaved and used terrifying analogies such as:

“Why would you cut off your own feet by not doing your homework?”

How gracefully you accepted growing older and suffered

the indignity of letting me pat your balding head.

How you used your gift of storytelling to enliven

what could have been the most boring historical sites

and transformed us into people who think deeply about

the patterns of history and how they repeat. An ever ready

book always at the ready when we had questions.

The quiet way you took in all of the anger and confusion

of adolescence and then turned around and reminded of us

that we were experiencing the instant karma of getting back

what we dished out when we ourselves became parents.

How you helped us care for our own home by coming over

to hang a painting or fix some small thing. You always have

an “Outstanding!” or a “Well done!”for the smallest victories.

Well, back at’cha, Dad! Outstanding! Well Done!