Dad’s Birthday

Had he lived, Dad would have been a hundred years old today.

As anniversaries go, this is not an earth shattering one. He died when I was a teenager, and I’ve lived twice as long without him as the years I spent growing up with him. Nevertheless, today is a day that I’ve spent in quiet contemplation.I loved him, and he loved me, and I wonder how my life would have been different if I’d been older when he died.I remember when Mark, my son, turned sixteen. In one moment, I found myself in uncharted territory as a parent. It surprised me no end to discover that I’d been using my father as a pattern for parenting my son.But as my son and I grew older, I discovered that Dad’s influence on me wasn’t limited to specific examples of “good” or “bad” parenting. It was remarkably freeing.I wish my dad could have known my son. They would have loved each other.