And a Happy Fathers Day it was

A week ago we had no idea if we'd even bother with Fathers Day.  But praise be to God, things have calmed down.  Oh, we still have much on our minds, many healings and much health to pray for.  And that doesn't include the fact that our life is still only 50% stable to begin with!  But somehow or another, messy, sloppy, crazy that it is, we've made it this far.  And I have much to show for it.  A great family, greater kids, a beautiful wife, a home, cars, a super-cool backyard, and we are making it day by day.  Yes, I still miss my Dad.  For just one more hug or 'I love you', I don't know what I'd do.  Even now, a couple years later, I still have moments where I can't believe he's gone.

I had one of those dreams a while back.  A realistic one, where it seems real enough.  And he was there, in the later days with his Alzheimer's, but there nonetheless.  We were going someplace for the kids, like a Chuck E. Cheese or similar.  I constantly had to watch over him and keep him from wandering away.  Even in the dream it got frustrating!  But the kids were all there, the family, my adorable wife, and Dad.  The last part I remember we were in some cavernous hall filled with games like video games (and yet not video games).  There was an opening in the wall, a passage or something.  It went back, like a dungeon, and then turned and went down a flight of stairs into the darkness. An employee was there saying something unintelligible. I wondered 'what the heck kind of place is this!'  Then I turned to make sure Dad was there.  He was, wandering about.  I went to get him and bring him back to the family.  And then I woke up.  The realistic ones are always the bad ones, because then you have to come back to grips with reality.  And yet, it was so realistic, I almost felt like I had been with him a while. Silly I suppose.

But even with him gone, I still have a great family.  My wife is a gem, I got the better end of that bargain, nobody disagrees.  The kids are each a blessing - teenage issues and all.  And since things prayerfully have settled down health-wise at this point at least, I had the chance to listen to a concert by each of them (with our twelve year old having to reduce the repertoire due to to his biking injury).  Clarinet and piano renditions of Joplin, Chopin and themes from the movie The Hobbit and Inception.  A splurge of some fresh salmon for dinner, and a day to relax.  Later on, a rousing round of "The Settlers of Catan" (I lost), and finishing up with Chaplin's classic The Kid.  Not bad.  When one looks across the global landscape, it's easy to realize not bad at all.

In his rascally prime as I try to remember him.  He is still missed. 

It tasted better than it looked, and that's no easy accomplishment.

I'm sure I could be luckier, but it's hard to imagine.

The world's cutest wife, and most tolerant.  God knew everything I could have hoped for in a wife, that's for sure!