Husband is sitting on the back deck in his robe sipping hot coffee and reading the morning newspaper. Cody has presented him with a card shaped like a tie that he made for Father’s Day at school and Husband is currently “wearing” this tie. It goes well with the robe. Carter has yet to give his card and gift to Husband for he is busy building turtles, cannons, and robotic dogs from those connectors-straw toys. The living room is littered with these colorful creations.
We have simple plans for today. There is a new burger restaurant in town that we have been wanted to try and today seems like the perfect day for it. We will take a walk by the water and, as per Carter’s request, we may find ourselves licking ice cream cones. Later in the day the boys want to watch MythBusters with Husband, a show they have never seen but that they overheard Husband and I talking about yesterday. (Cody was a little concerned that the show would have too much talking and asked me if it was in “white and black”. When I told him it was not in black and white he was much relieved.)
That is pretty much our plans. To hang out and be a family.
On this day, like on any other day, I will also think of my father. He has been gone for a year and a half. This is the second Father’s Day since his death. I miss him.
Yesterday at our local farmer’s market I found myself quite suddenly crying behind my large dark sunglasses. As the boys buzzed from booth to booth ahead of Husband and I, I tried to compose myself. It came out of nowhere as an older gentleman with a cane slowly passed by me. There was something about him that reminded me of my dad, reminded me that I would never see my dad again except for in fragments in other people’s dads and granddads and in the memories and photos trapped in my head and collecting dust on my bookshelves. It is still a hard thing for me to realize.
So today will be a day of simple plans. Today will be for fathers, those wonderful dads who are here with us and those who are no longer with us.
