This is one of the few & my favorite pictures I have of my father as a child. It's amazing what a picture can say. With one click of a camera you can capture life at that moment. I see this picture and I imagine a warm July day. Perhaps a light breeze in the air carrying the sweet smell of the summer. I try and imagine the music that would be playing, who they asked to take the picture, & the love and excitement they shared over their first son. I could get lost in these pictures as they tell this untold story of my fathers childhood. Though I don't have memories of my grandparents, I can imagine them through these pictures.
I imagine what they would have looked like as they grew older. Would they see similarities between my three sisters & I and themselves. Or maybe a smile from a great grandchild sparks a memory of my father as a child. Perhaps the way we speak, our disposition, or our manor reminds them of their son. I will never know, but through these pictures and the stories my father tells, I can imagine what life was like and what could have been. I only wish they could have seen what a wonderful dad their son turned out to be.
I would have loved to know more about my father in his younger years. Even so, I am grateful to have him as a father. I have so many wonderful things to say about him and the childhood he provided for my sisters and I. We love him dearly. I count myself blessed to have such loving parents. Not everyone can look back on their earlier years with a warm heart and a longing for that comfort of family and security we had. Everyday I strive to give my children the kind of childhood I was lucky enough to experience.
Happy Birthday Dad!
You are truly loved.
