Thursday, April 22, 2004
Fathers and Daughters
Today, I found myself thinking about my father...I must admit, I'm daddy's little girl and I love it! :) I talked to him on the phone yesterday after not being able to for so long... and I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. An excitement - on both ends. I asked him if he had watched the hockey game.. it has been so long since we've watched hockey together... or basketball or soccer...
Being away at school has made it difficult for me to see my dad and spend time with him. We don't have the same relationship that I have with my mother - with whom I speak to everyday. I miss him and I know he misses me around the house too. He asked me when I was coming home and I told him sometime next week...
This morning, I thought of a funny story. Between fathers and daughters, sometimes it's hard to talk about "sensitive topics." I remembered a funny story when I woke up one day at 11 and had such terrible cramps. Unbeknownst to the both of us, I was getting my "monthly friend" for the first time. He was so worried that he wanted to take me to the hospital. My mother insisted that I bear with it at home. The next day over breakfast at McDonald's, after I had realized why my sides were hurting so much, I told him that I had become a woman. I remember saying it so matter-of-factly, so seriously. hahaha. His reaction was timeless. He put down his food and went outside for a smoke. haha :)
I remember him showing up late at my graduation, walking in as I was giving my valedictorian address, because he had spent the majority of the day fishing. He was the reason I cried as I talked about the importance of family and how they will always come through for you. I didn't think he knew how important it was for me... until a fishing trip I took with him two years ago. We went to Lake Simcoe to visit friends and a friend of his said to me, "He's really proud of you kids.. he told me that you were valedictorian." I didn't think he even knew what that meant... That night at gradutation, I said in my speech: "Parents are the anonymous cheerleaders of our achievements and the silent bearers of our pain."
I miss my dad. I know that for a long period of time, he wasn't really around in our lives, but I have forgiven him a long time ago. Nobody really know what goes on in the individual mind... why people do the things they do. He's made so many mistakes in his lifetime...he's probably hurt us more than he ever wanted...but it's memories like the ones I've mentioned that remind me he is only human. Love is something he shows in his own way...
Being away at school has made it difficult for me to see my dad and spend time with him. We don't have the same relationship that I have with my mother - with whom I speak to everyday. I miss him and I know he misses me around the house too. He asked me when I was coming home and I told him sometime next week...
This morning, I thought of a funny story. Between fathers and daughters, sometimes it's hard to talk about "sensitive topics." I remembered a funny story when I woke up one day at 11 and had such terrible cramps. Unbeknownst to the both of us, I was getting my "monthly friend" for the first time. He was so worried that he wanted to take me to the hospital. My mother insisted that I bear with it at home. The next day over breakfast at McDonald's, after I had realized why my sides were hurting so much, I told him that I had become a woman. I remember saying it so matter-of-factly, so seriously. hahaha. His reaction was timeless. He put down his food and went outside for a smoke. haha :)
I remember him showing up late at my graduation, walking in as I was giving my valedictorian address, because he had spent the majority of the day fishing. He was the reason I cried as I talked about the importance of family and how they will always come through for you. I didn't think he knew how important it was for me... until a fishing trip I took with him two years ago. We went to Lake Simcoe to visit friends and a friend of his said to me, "He's really proud of you kids.. he told me that you were valedictorian." I didn't think he even knew what that meant... That night at gradutation, I said in my speech: "Parents are the anonymous cheerleaders of our achievements and the silent bearers of our pain."
I miss my dad. I know that for a long period of time, he wasn't really around in our lives, but I have forgiven him a long time ago. Nobody really know what goes on in the individual mind... why people do the things they do. He's made so many mistakes in his lifetime...he's probably hurt us more than he ever wanted...but it's memories like the ones I've mentioned that remind me he is only human. Love is something he shows in his own way...
