my dad

september 1978. i was 5 and my dad was 1 month away from his 30th birthday. snapping this shot is the fancy timer on my dad's new Nikon. photography was his newest hobby. i suspect he picked the Nikon brand b/c of paul simon.

this was a time when it was just me and my dad. i was living a tough life for a little kid, but i didn't know it. my dad made our life an adventure. he made simple things fun and i never for a single minute wondered if he loved me. we camped a lot, ate dinner out of cans and saw a lot of movies. he gave me a tambourine and played his guitar singing songs like "Sister Golden Hair" and "Margaritaville." he took me to see plays at Actor's Theater and we always arrived early enough to have a drink in the bar. i wore dresses and ordered Shirley Temples. 

since i became a parent, i have often reflected on my childhood, wondering how my dad did it -a 20-something bachelor with a little girl to raise. people looked at us and scratched their heads, asking "where is your mother?" i didn't know we weren't a "normal" family. 

i think we parents sometimes fear our kids are going to wake up one morning and say, "you don't know what you're doing, do you. i mean, it occurred to me this morning over my fruit loops that you are winging this whole deal and you haven't got a clue." 

i rest in the fact that this cereal moment never happened with me. my context was "dad's got this." i believe that's a gift from God - blind trust from our children. it's good. i don't always deserve it, but i will always receive it. 

he'll be 60 this year. wo. in the 35 years i've known him, i've never seen anything about him that says he's perfect. but he has been the perfect dad for me. and if you know me, you know how much i love talking about him. i've had my turn. now it's yours... 

what's so great about your dad?