Things My Father Did

Going through some photos of my Dad today, Fathers' Day, I came upon the 3x5 cards I had used to write down my thoughts for his memorial service. Throughout my Dad's adult life he kept a stack of 3x5 cards in his front pocket to help him organize everything in his life from work projects, to movies he wanted to see, to repairs at home. These cards went with him everywhere, I can't find a photo without them peeking out of his front pocket.

When he died in 2001 it struck me that his cards were things left unfinished, things he had wanted, needed, or hoped to do. I decided to write him a list of things he had done, things he did for me:

1. Told me why the sky is blue
2. Showed me the top of Aspen Mountain
3. Taught me why baseball is so essentially American
4. Got me my first job and made sure I would succeed
5. Helped me grow to understand religion, faith, spirituality were not found only in a church
6. Taught me a deeper meaning of the word Dad than I could have known myself

7. Gave me my first look through a telescope at the stars
8. Was the first “Horsey” I ever rode
9. Took me to my first opera and mad sure I stayed awake
10. Taught me what war really was
11. Played me Pete Seeger and sang me A-Be-Yo-Yo with all the voices
12. Showed me how hard it was to lead a noble, honest, and passionate life, but why it was so important

-Taught me chess, swimming, skating, canoeing, soldering, soccer
-Guest-lectured at every physics class I ever took, sometimes without an invitation
-Took me to Broadway Danny Rose and showed me why Woody Allen was so funny
-Gave me a sister, 2 brothers, and a wonderful mother

-Showed me that even Matchbox cars obeyed the laws of physics