Daddy Hugs

I often have this soft spot when I think that Alexander never got a chance to meet either of his grandfathers. Particularly since I'm sure he would have had a blast with my Dad, who was so good with kids because he was just a big kid at heart. But I do have some great memories of my father, and I plan on sharing them with Alexander. I also plan on making tons of memories together with him so that he can look back on his own old man with fondness.

One of the simplest pleasures I had was sitting on my Dad's knee and watching television with him, or going fishing together (the boat ride was the funnest part for me because I wasn't all that useful once it came time to gut and clean the fish) -- when I got older, I remember just wanting to sit and have a beer with him. (Yes, he even loved me when I had a mullet) And I'm fortunate because I had many opportunities like that as a young adult. When Fran and I would visit, one of the best parts of the the visit for both Francine and myself was hanging out in the garage and having a beer with my Dad while he BBQ'd supper.

There are many days when I long for the chance to have just one more beer with him and tell him how much I admired him or maybe just to sit back and listen to him laugh while he told me a story about his youth. But then I remind myself not to dwell on what isn't, and instead, focus on the right here and right now; so whenever I start thinking like that, I usually go give my son a huge hug.

His hugs, like my father's own hugs used to, give me the most wonderful heartwarming feeling. I'm very fortunate to have been and to currently be on the receiving end of such blessings from the generations that surround me.