Father's Day

Today is Father's Day. It is a day that is not celebrated as much as Mother's Day or Valentine's Day, and I am not sure why that is. After all, most people, except for test tube babies, need a mother and a father to create a baby. At least, I think so. My father gave me the sex talk in the car from Georgetown to Columbia one night, after he was there to preach in a church. I remember his speech well. The only thing that really scared me was that he was driving while telling me the facts of life. Daddy was a very unusual man. He was a Baptist minister. A pioneer in the Southern Baptist Convention. He was very strict. We couldn't do a lot of stuff that other kids could do. And, we did things behind his back that weren't so kosher. But, he loved us just the same. I never really understood my father. He was gone a lot. That was until the last couple of years of his life. We would talk about a lot of stuff, mainly what he did. And, some pieces of the puzzle came together. I never really felt I had much in common with my father. I loved rock music. He didn't. I loved James Bond movies. He didn't. I loved acting. He didn't. I had a big ego. He didn't. The last time I saw him, before he went into a coma, he told me that he loved me and was proud of me. That was the usual thing he said to me, when I would leave after a visit to the nursing home. That time was meant much to me. I didn't know at the time that it would be the last time he said it to me, but I was glad he did. He meant it. He loved me and was proud of me. Nevermind all the things I had done to embarass him. Or disappoint him. He never had grandchildren. But, he loved me and was proud of me. Why? What did I do? I was his son. No matter what. After he died, I started feeling that he had passed on some of his qualities to me. He was a voracious writer. Me too. He was a very humble man. Me too. I never thought I could be humble, but I understood him. He was very famous amongst Baptists. He had accomplished a lot in religious circles. People came to him for counsel. But yet, he never bragged about it or let it go to his head. I couldn't have gotten into college without his influence. My grades were not good. My high school guidance counselor told me that I was no better than a auto mechanic, but my father saw it differently. He got me into college, and the drama bug bit, among other things. I inherited my father's talent for public speaking and became one of the top debaters in the country. But, the one thing that Daddy taught me that I can pass on to others is the importance of family. We were a close family. We ate meals together. We went on vacations together. We went to church together. It was the little things that kept us together. He wasn't there a lot, as he had to travel with his job, but when he was, he was the rock that kept our family together. He believed in the family. I wish more people did today. So, Happy Father's Day to all those fathers out there. I wish I had been one of you. Maybe one day. You just never know. Daddy may not be here physically, but he is in my heart. I love you and am proud of you. What better tribute is there than that? Thanks, Daddy. I love you too and am proud of you.