Of course, Father's Day makes me think of my father. He has been gone for almost 27 years, but I will never forget what a character he was.
My father was born and raised in Louisiana, but since he always wore cowboy boots, a cowboy hat and a bolo tie when he went out, people always thought he was a Texan. He was even nicknamed "Tex" in the Navy.
My father loved people - but especially kids. Children were always fascinated by the things he would make - snakeskin belts, wooden birds of various kinds, peach pit birds, and so much more. Daddy would give almost anything away if it would make a child happy. Sometimes I would think he was more interested in pleasing other kids as opposed to me. It's natural to be jealous at times, I guess.
The amazing thing about my father's talent to make things is that he was legally blind. It started around the time I was three and got progressively worse. He was diagnosed with Macular Dystrophy. He never went completely blind, but he wasn't far from it.
Daddy hated having to give up working as a barber, which he did in the Navy and after he got out. My mother never dreamed that she would have to become the breadwinner with a toddler to care for, too. Daddy would do as much as he could around the house. I can still remember him waking me up on summer mornings by vacuuming. His theory seemed to be that if he was awake, the whole house should be awake.
Early on, I became Daddy's "seeing eye daughter." When we walked together, I would let him take my elbow and warn him about steps or other obstacles. As soon as I could get my driver's license, I became his chauffeur.
My Daddy could tell jokes and stories all day long. I can still remember a lot of his favorites. He loved when the preacher would visit. Heck, he loved when anybody would visit! It didn't matter if it was a traveling salesman or Jehovah's Witnesses, he would talk their ears off!
Daddy was one of the biggest animal lovers there ever was. He raised hunting beagles and we had a plethora of unusual pets: a de-skunked skunk, a rooster, two different monkeys, ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, parrots, parakeets, and a variety of dogs - and this was all in the suburbs of New Orleans. If I found a dog and brought it home (as long as my mother wasn't home at the time) all I would have to do was to beg, "Pleaaaase, Daddy, can I keep him?" and the dog was mine. He did give away a litter of kittens while I was at school, but that's a story for another day.
Not every trait I got from my father was a good one. My father could hold a grudge longer and harder than anyone I know. Unfortunately, so can I. But unlike my father, I can sometimes get over it. He never would.
So, Daddy, I know that it bothered you that you couldn't work and help support the family. You weren't able to go and do the things a lot of fathers could. But I know that you loved me with your whole heart...and that's what it's all about, isn't it?
