Dads

I suspected today would be rough. I wasn’t wrong. The weather has been perfect. I played in my garden. Mary, her mom, and I went to a couple of nurseries and enjoyed buying plants. The work around the stream and my backyard has long needed my attention and it began to get it a little today. These things have been wonderful.

I celebrate every dad I know who is here and doing the good, hard work of loving their kiddos, being present, building up, consoling, counseling, tending hurts. And my heart aches for those who have lost their papas far too young, or worse had bad daddies or daddies who weren’t present. I’m sorry. That sucks, too.

My personal brand of suck is that my husband, one of the very best daddies I ever knew, is gone and our amazing daughter doesn’t get to spend today with him. That pisses me off. I don’t know who to be mad at, but it’s just stupid and ugly and damned unfair.

And I don’t have my daddy either. *expletive* *curse* *word that would make my Mom blush*

We tell stories. And we laugh about the things we love so much about these men who are gone.

And this evening, I wheeled Bryan’s bicycle into the garage to put it away until I can make better decisions. It hurts like the time I fell off the monkey bars in elementary school. Wind knocked out of me. Can hardly breathe.

If you have your daddy and things are good, give him a big ol’ hug for me. And if you don’t, think of the men in your life who are doing fatherhood right and let them know it. Spread that gratitude, love, and joy around like confetti. This party is short.