A Homage to Joe

As a little girl I learnt what love of a woman looked like from my dad. And as Fathers Day is here I got to thinking, what do I get or say to the man who taught me such a lesson. It’s not something he knew he was teaching me but I watched and I took notes.

It’s with these set of notes I ventured out in search for such love. It was a battle and there were a lot (well not a lot a lot) wrong choices, but I refused to settle because my dad couldn’t be the last real good one…. How fair would that be?

To see my family you would know it’s full of strong women (shout out to my mom and sis) and it is with these strong overpowering personalities an equal great force had to fit. A balance and he does it.  I grew up in this house of strong women, it could be,  lets say; challenging as we all loved to be right, and were never wrong…… My sister and I clashed and pushed each others buttons, this in turn pushed my mom and pretty soon estrogen was flying and little could be gone to get us to rein it in. Then there was this voice, one you knew that if pushed would make good “Girls….: and like that white flags waved and we returned to our corners.

It wasn’t just our tempers he calmed. He never judged and always allowed me to be me even when he disagreed or hated my choice he stood by me. It was a different type of support from him than my mom.  Maybe it was in the way he was raised or life he had lived it always just felt different.  I’ve always been like my mom, and that has not always been easy so my relationship with my dad has always been special.  I am a self-proclaimed (and everyone knows it) Daddy’s girl.  As such I have worked really hard on not abusing the abilities that comes with such a title, other than the favourite meal call in or the occasional yes after mom said no.

Hockey, Music, Marching to the beat of your own drum.  More things I learnt from Dad.  He loves music and sports and has passed that along to myself and my sister.  It is something we all share and is always something we can and do talk about.

Be respected, and never settle or hide who you are… and if they can handle that, he is man enough for you.  That is how my dads girls need to be loved.  Its how he loves us and how he has loved my mother for over 35 years.  He has taught me that if they cannot keep up, you don’t slow down, it on them to get faster.  He has taught me that it is not always how you get there it what you do when you’re there that matters.  Family comes first and everything else second.  My dad is quirky and reserved, quiet and respectful. He is an eclectic man who just when you think you have him figured he does something that surprises you.  Every laugh, every tear, every hurdle, every triumph my dad was and is there. When needed and there were many times he is  always there for a dad hug…. and they are the best kind….

To my dad everyday but especially on Father’s Day, thank you for teaching me so many important lessons.  A lot of who I am is because of who you are.  Happy Fathers Day.

xoxo – C