Dear Dad

Dad, when you died 25 years ago, I thought it was the worst day of my life.  For a few years, it was.  Then I realized that while your life ended, mine needed to continue down a better path.


Since you left, you missed a lot, and while I like to believe you can look down and share in our big events, I should catch you up anyway.  

I met a guy.  You would have liked him.  Then you would have beaten the crap out of him, but then you would have liked him again.  You weren't there to approve, so I had to rely on the Ruthie seal of approval.  She liked him and I am sure she told you all about him when she got there.  Your brother stood in your place the day I got married.  You absence was noticed by everyone, and we all cried a bit harder because of it.


We bought our first house, and started doing all the holidays at our house.  It was too depressing to do them at your house without the patriarch to lead us, so I told Mommy that she had done them for all those years and it was my turn now.  She either bought it, or understood and acquiesced, she is sly that way.


Hey dad, we had a baby.  He looks just like I did in my baby pictures.  Mommy & Derek were there at the hospital to welcome the new arrival.  You were missed, but good old Uncle Derek made sure to get the baby his first football for his bassinet.  While we didn't give him your English name, when we all stood in the Temple, it was your name that was spoken in Hebrew.  Mazel Tov, you are a Zayde!


In time we moved away, and moved away again.  We are in California of all places now, and while it hasn't fallen in to the ocean yet, it may any day now.  You would appreciate the relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  There have been many times I have looked around over the years, and been sad you could not experience it with us.  


What I realize now is that you are.  There is a part of you that lives on in me.  I take no crap and can smell b.s. a mile away, due to the lessons you taught.  I can appreciate a good joke from the sense of humor you passed down.  My love of football and baseball and hockey and basketball come from the many hours watching and/or playing them with you.  I love politics and good debate because you got us involved in local campaigns when we were young.  I can throw sarcasm as far as the eye can see thanks to running the daily gauntlet in our house, known as family discussion time.


I am so many things, but most of all, I am my father's daughter.