The Day I Met My Dad

     It's father's day today. Unlike the mob scene on mother's day, church had plenty good room in the pews this morning. It won't be hard to find a place to eat if you don't have a reservation today. There are still lots of cards left on the racks at the stores today. Some people are celebrating the women who are raising children without the help of a full time father-in-residence. Some of us are mourning the loss of our fathers and some of us are celebrating the many men who have stepped into the gap in our lives. Today,  I rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

     Those who know me well enough know that I am not offended by the words "Daddy's Girl." Yes, I am and so what?  My father is one of the greats but what makes him great is not that he lived up to the job description of a Dad/Father/Parent/Guardian. One of the things that makes my dad so great is that he loved me enough to hear me when I needed him most.

     It may seem odd to give this blog the title, The Day I Met My Dad, since he was (and still is) married to my mother and came home from work every day to the house where I grew up.  The Day I Met My Dad refers to the day that I was lying on a hospital bed looking over at him and trying to explain what it meant to suffer from depression despite the appearance of a successful and happy life. The Day I Met My Dad was the day that he learned that I needed to hear him say that he loved me. A man who had never said those words before began to say them to me at every opportunity. The Day I Met My Dad was the day that I stopped being his little girl and became his adult daughter.  I could write so much more but I will simply tell you that on that day, our relationship shifted in a way that defies description.  The Day I Met My Dad was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  He still indulges me, rescues me, spoils me and endures my ranting and raving and pouting.  He taught me a great many things and a love of jazz is one of them. So today, in celebration of The Day I Met My Dad, here is a clip of Horace Silver performing "A Song for My Father."

If there was ever a man 

Who was generous, gracious and good

That was my dad

The man

A human being so true

He could live like a king

'Cause he knew

The real pleasure in life

To be devoted to

And always stand by me

So I'd be unafraid and free

I love you, Daddy!