Father's Day

Well, it's father's day today and I was trying to think of a good story about my childhood to say thanks to my dad. But the story that stays in my mind is the first time Dad cursed in front of me.

I know, maybe not the most sentimental choice, but it was very meaningful to me. It was the summer before I left for college. Dad had just gotten out of a frustrating elders meeting and in that frustration he just said, "these dxxn guys..."

It may seem minor, but I experienced it as an invitation to manhood. My dad was pulling back the velvet rope and inviting me to join him in the adult world...(okay, maybe I'm assigning too much meaning to a single exasperated utterance)

But it highlights for me the thing about my dad that I most want to replicate as a father...my parents were committed to getting me out of their house. They were more interested in "raising" children than "having" children. They were always looking for ways to push me toward more and more independence.

So, happy Father's Day, Dad, thanks for everything...and you were right, those dudes were...