Father's Day

My mother remembered her father picking her up in the morning, wrapping her in a blanket and carrying her down to the cook stove in the kitchen where it was warm. It was one of the ways he showed love.

I remember my paternal grandfather taking me out to eat, first as a very young child at the country club and later as a teen at his restaurant. He equated love with food.

My father would spend hours talking to me about the things that fascinated me. He taught me to love books and libraries. Education was his way of loving.

My husband shared his love of computers with our children. That was his way.

Now I look at my sons who are much more hands on fathers than the fathers of my past. They have changed diapers, bathed, dressed, made ballerina buns and made music with their children. They show love by constantly being there for whatever is going on and I am so impressed when I see how they instinctively do all the things people once thought only mothers could do.

They are possibly the greatest generation of fathers to hit the earth running so far and I am proud of the way their children embrace life and move through it trying out all kinds of things with great abandon and persistence.

Loving life is the greatest gift I think any father can give his children.