Father's Day

I suppose I ought to pause long enough to note that although the placement of the apostrophe is unusual, it does reflect my intention. This post is about my father specifically. It is about me as a father only indirectly. It isn't really bout fathers in general at all.

In 1985, Mother called to tell me that Dad had died and to ask me to represent the family in a reflection on Dad's life. That was a wonderful feeling for me. It was demanding, yet at the same time, I felt that it was something I could do. Best of all, it wasn't about me. It was a service I could provide for my family and for those who had known Dad.

Today's task is, frankly, more daunting. I do not have the sense that this is something I can do. I am going to try to provide a hypertext link to the celebration of Dad's life. On the reasonable likelihood that this first try will not work out well, I would like specifically to exculpate my son Dan, who as a kind of Father's Day present to me has gotten me this far, and my nephew Steve Hayes, who took time he didn't have to help someone he hasn't actually known since he was a little boy.

Having said all that, click here to see the tribute to my father's life, a document now 25 years old.