Slice of Life is sponsored every Tuesday by Stacey and Ruth from Two Writing Teachers. For the month of March we are challenging ourself to write a Slice A Day. Here we go!
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| My dad and I in 1974 |
Today is
my dad’s birthday. I was reminded of this via a text from my brother last
night. I quickly looked at my calendar; it wasn’t really March 7th
already, was it? I’m not sure where the time has gone. And though it will
embarrass my dad greatly, my slice today will focus on him.
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| A letter I saved from my dad while I was at my first camp, 1985. |
There is
a quote that hangs above the door to my classroom, I tell my students to look
at it each day as they walk out, “What do you do when no one is watching?” I
tell them that our actions speak louder than our words. We can say we stand up
for underdogs, that we are honest, loyal – but it is through our actions that
we really see what people are made of. There is no one I know that embodies
this principle more than my dad.
My
parents are the perfect match in many ways. My mom talks a lot, my dad very
little. What he says, therefore, has weight. You listen. He also works
extremely hard. He is a lawyer and built up his own firm with his friend, Tom.
He worked so hard that he often wasn’t around during the day. There is a long standing
joke in my family that my mom took us to the pool every day, all summer long,
year in, year out. However I still remember the day that my dad came to the
pool to see us and dove in the water. My mom jokes that he was there for less
than twenty minutes but we all remember it.
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| My dad with Luke on Luke's first Canoe Trip. |
While my
dad is a great father, friend, and lawyer, he’s also an amazing storyteller.
I’m not sure if that is part of the genes passed down in our Irish DNA, but I
love listening to his stories. From the farm growing up, to college, to my
childhood, and beyond – he brings you right in. We host Christmas Eve at my house every year
and this year I watched as my dad told story after story while my son, Luke,
sat long after I thought he would get up, soaking it all in.
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| My amazing family |
So on his
65th birthday I’d like to say thanks. Thanks for being an excellent
role model to us all, children and grandchildren alike. Thanks for reminding us
that family is the most important priority in our lives. Thanks for telling
great stories, jokes that make me laugh until I cry, and motivating me to do
more, be more. Next Guinness is on me.
