A Late Father's Day
One of the surprising things about losing my father has been seeing the grief in other people's faces. I've only been at my job for two weeks, so most people there barely know me, and yet, when they heard about my dad, so many were brought to tears. I've concluded that there must be a lot of really good dads in the world. While we may hear more about bad dads and missing fathers then more positive parents, I've become convinced that there is an army's worth of unsung heroes working each day to take care of their families and children.
Another thing I didn't expect was the realization that I've been terribly ungrateful where my dad is concerned. My dad was far from perfect. He watched so much TV that sometimes it felt like he wasn't even part of our family. Tact was a word in the dictionary, and not something that dad thought much about. A mountain facing a tsunami couldn't beat my dad for contrary stubbornness once he'd made up his mind. However, I think I focused too much on his faults, and never fully appreciate the sacrifices dad made for us all and the good things that dad taught us. Over and over again at the funeral people said how much dad helped them and how you could call him and he'd be there right away. That's a quality that I've seen in my brothers too, and I've got to think that they learned it from him. And in his own dorky way, my dad knew how to have fun. He was active in boy scouts for decades, and he rode in the MS-150 three times after he retired. I don't think he enjoyed his work, he was such a happier person after he retired, and yet he worked, and worked and worked to support our family. Most of all though, dad loved our family, and love is a very valuable gift.
So, I'm going to stop being sappy. The job is going well. I guess. It is kinda difficult being the only person in the building who really understands my job when I don't exactly know how to go about doing my job. Still, I've been doing things as I can and asking questions as fast as I can think of them, so hopefully I haven't forgotten anything major. Being surrounded by students again, I keep expecting to be teaching, so it's kind of with wicked delight that I keep to my library. I've been training my aides though, so I have been teaching too. I'm keeping up with the laminating that means I'm doing a good job, right?
Another thing I didn't expect was the realization that I've been terribly ungrateful where my dad is concerned. My dad was far from perfect. He watched so much TV that sometimes it felt like he wasn't even part of our family. Tact was a word in the dictionary, and not something that dad thought much about. A mountain facing a tsunami couldn't beat my dad for contrary stubbornness once he'd made up his mind. However, I think I focused too much on his faults, and never fully appreciate the sacrifices dad made for us all and the good things that dad taught us. Over and over again at the funeral people said how much dad helped them and how you could call him and he'd be there right away. That's a quality that I've seen in my brothers too, and I've got to think that they learned it from him. And in his own dorky way, my dad knew how to have fun. He was active in boy scouts for decades, and he rode in the MS-150 three times after he retired. I don't think he enjoyed his work, he was such a happier person after he retired, and yet he worked, and worked and worked to support our family. Most of all though, dad loved our family, and love is a very valuable gift.
So, I'm going to stop being sappy. The job is going well. I guess. It is kinda difficult being the only person in the building who really understands my job when I don't exactly know how to go about doing my job. Still, I've been doing things as I can and asking questions as fast as I can think of them, so hopefully I haven't forgotten anything major. Being surrounded by students again, I keep expecting to be teaching, so it's kind of with wicked delight that I keep to my library. I've been training my aides though, so I have been teaching too. I'm keeping up with the laminating that means I'm doing a good job, right?