Walking in the Footsteps of a Good Father

It's my sixth Father's Day without my father, and every day and week that passes without him, I become more aware of the lasting legacy he left me and my siblings.

Every day, I find myself using his witty expressions, whether it's when I'm complaining about the driver in front of me who refuses to move when the light turns green ("Wait are you waiting for, a written invitation?") or when I'm feeling my age in my arthritic joints ("If I wake up in the morning and nothing hurts, I think I'm dead").

Every day, I see him in me: in my terrible impatience on the road; in my inflexibility in bending from my principles; in my unwillingness to suffer fools gladly; in my persistent love of the outdoors; in my desire for solitude and quiet.

He's alive within me. And not just me, but in my sons, who I see repeating many of the same expressions and mannerisms that I learned from my father and that they, in turn, learned from me.

What a legacy a good father leaves! It's not a perfect legacy, for sure, but it's a legacy that lasts. We all walk in the footsteps of those who came before us. In my case, those are big footsteps.

My father in his beloved vegetable garden

In honor of my father, I'm reprising a favorite blog post that I wrote about a profound learning experience with my father that happened more than five decades ago. It's hard to believe it's been that long. It feels like yesterday.

Meanwhile, I will honor his legacy today by going to visit my mother at the senior care community.

To all you fathers out there: Happy Father's Day! Continue your good work, and never forget for a moment the lasting legacy you are leaving with your example.

God bless.

https://www.peaceableman.com/post/the-lasting-legacy-of-a-good-father

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