Letters from North
America
Here we go with Father’s
day again. I don’t know
about you but I’m still
stuck in March and I’m
having a hard time
bringing myself around
to thinking about summer
being here this soon.
But whether I like it or
not, time waits for no
man, much less me, so I
had best get with it.
For those of you with
fathers, take time out
this coming Sunday to do
something special for
him. I was with one of
my sons last weekend and
we got to talking about
how quickly time goes
by. We were comparing
dates in my life as
compared to dates in
his. You know how you
do; you look back twenty
or thirty years and
begin to realize how
quickly time goes by. In
order for a couple of
things to happen in his
life and for me to still
be around to see them, I
will have to live to be
somewhere around 110
years old. Might be hard
to do.
This week one of my good
friends died so someone
lost a father, husband
and a brother. Then
another of my friends
lost his 23 year old
son. So, having had eye
surgery and getting
ready for knee surgery
next week doesn’t seem
so bad for me. I am very
fortunate.
There are a lot of
things I would have
liked to have asked my
father, but was too dumb
to think of while he was
alive. Somehow I guess I
thought he would always
be around and when he
wasn’t, well, it was too
late to do anything
about it. I hope you
don’t make that same
mistake. Ask questions
while they are still
around to give you the
answers.
My wife always wants to
know why I get so quiet
when my sons are in the
house. It’s mainly
because I love to listen
to them talk. They
aren’t kids anymore;
they are all grown men
and have their own
issues and concerns over
their lives and our
social issues. I like
hearing their opinions.
I am well past the stage
where I need a tie or a
new pair of house shoes.
I just want some time
with my boys to hear
their hearts. Our lives
pass by so quickly that
it is too sad that we
look around and wonder
what happened and often
times its too late. For
father as well as son.
Life is a funny thing,
most of us choose to
save only the good
memories and toss away
the bad ones. We often
refer to ‘the good old
days’ when in reality
those might have been
some of the toughest
days of our lives, but
we gloss over the
hardships and focus on
the good parts. Those
ties and slippers will
wear out or go out of
style, but good
relationships are never
going to be tossed away.
All of us remember that
song that Cat Stevens
came out with years ago
called… “The Cats in the
Cradle” …..to me it was
one of the saddest songs
I’ve ever heard. The son
had grown up just like
the dad and didn’t have
time for their
relationship any longer.
All of us have busy
lives, it seems the
older we get, the more
so. I don’t where the
time goes each day, I
find myself still trying
to get things done late
in the afternoons when I
should have been
finished hours ago. I do
know one thing and that
is… I value the time I
get to spend with my
boys, whether it’s in
person or on the phone.
I know they have things
to do as well and their
time is just as
valuable, but I also
know that the clock is
running and I won’t be
here at some point in
the future to answer
those questions. That’s
why today is important
for me to make myself
available. This Sunday
its important for you to
do so as well…call your
dad or if you can’t do
so, then make time for
your children. Listen to
their hearts and answer
those questions while
you can.
The spring times of our
lives past quickly into
the fall and winter
before we even begin to
notice it.
