My Father's Birthday…

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday… Actually, I should say that it would have been his birthday.  My father passed away ten years ago, and I still occasionally have “pangs of a deep loss.” I miss him a lot, but most of all, I miss the grandfather he was to my children.

I was lucky to have my grandmother until a month before I graduated from college. I was able to take advantage of the proximity of her home to my college. Since my parents lived in “two states over,” I visited my grandmother very often. I loved my time with her.

But, my children lost their grandfather (my father) when they were quite young. They have only distant memories of him, and stories that I have passed on to them.

When I miss my father, I think of the importance of making each day count. I try to remind myself not to take loved ones for granted. Every once in a while, when I find myself getting upset with one of my loved ones, I think to myself… Why am I not treating him/her as well as I would treat a stranger? It seems like we treat the ones we love with “less respect” than we do people we bump into while waiting in the grocery store line. “Excuse me.” or “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bump into you.” for complete strangers and “Move.” or “Watch out.” for our loved ones. (These are silly examples, but you probably can get my drift.)

I guess that if there is a moral to this entry it would be : Enjoy your loved ones and don’t take them for granted. When you look back with the “pangs of a deep loss” you might wonder why you didn’t/couldn’t find the time…