tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post115063961698686592..comments2024-03-17T02:20:03.772-05:00Comments on Riding With The Top Down: Fathers DayKathleen Eaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-1150992908897931562006-06-22T11:15:00.000-05:002006-06-22T11:15:00.000-05:00therapeutic personalities --i love thattherapeutic personalities --<BR/><BR/><BR/>i love thatanne frasierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13044828332429421657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-1150991306006050152006-06-22T10:48:00.000-05:002006-06-22T10:48:00.000-05:00My dad was one of the world's special people who w...My dad was one of the world's special people who was born to comfort others. One of those people you feel better just being around. All he had to do was hold out a big hand for you to put yours in, and in the quiet of his presence you found healing for whatever was hurting your heart. The world needs people like this. . . I've developed a term for them: therapeutic personalities. People who help keep the rest of us sane and stable just by being there.<BR/><BR/>So I guess the thing my Dad did best was love unconditionally, unjudgmentally. He became a father figure for countless kids he taught and counseled in a high school, and is something of a legend in our family. When he died, we all felt like our anchor was gone and two years later we've finally begun digging our toes into the sand to become the anchors for others that he would have wanted us to be.Betina Krahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11379124690406269848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-1150673896072099352006-06-18T18:38:00.000-05:002006-06-18T18:38:00.000-05:00Sometime, Anne, I think normalcy and parenting are...Sometime, Anne, I think normalcy and parenting are mutually exclusive terms.Helen Brennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08680081195181747377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-1150670758167173062006-06-18T17:45:00.000-05:002006-06-18T17:45:00.000-05:00eight kids. wowzers!i have such mixed feelings ab...eight kids. wowzers!<BR/><BR/>i have such mixed feelings about father's day that i'm reluctant to comment. sometimes i think it's a day that should be retired. it conjures of visions of normalcy that i doubt exist for most -- which is why i really liked your post, helen. you didn't do the hallmark thing. <BR/><BR/>my dad was always the stranger we saw every few years. in between those visits we never heard a word, and we never had a father's day relationship. now i talk to him quite often, and visit when i can. his health is bad and everything about him speaks silent regret.anne frasierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13044828332429421657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-1150665486097562442006-06-18T16:18:00.000-05:002006-06-18T16:18:00.000-05:00For any father's daughter, it doesn't matter what ...For any father's daughter, it doesn't matter what the term of endearment is; it matters that you know it for what it is every time you hear it. Daddy called me "Punky." It made me feel favored. Not "the favorite," but favored. Smiled upon. <BR/><BR/>My dad died 33 years ago at the very young age of 48. In that time I've forgotten all the things he did wrong. I really only remember the good things, which is one of the blessings of time's passing. <BR/><BR/>I think I posted on Memorial Day about taking his medals to a framer, along with a couple of photographs. I picked it up Friday. It's way bigger than I imagined it would be, but apparently good memories have a way of growing. Thank heaven for that. <BR/><BR/>Happy Father's Day, Daddy!Kathleen Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.com