Picture of the Week 6/15/2008

Happy Father's Day! I wonder if it is a bittersweet time for Anderson, missing his dad and all those father/son moments children are entitled to. Perhaps it is no big deal to him as he was so young and didn't have all that many days to celebrate his dad. I know Anderson would make a great daddy and hopefully one day he will have the opportunity. I know there surely are a few out there who would be honored to make it a reality.

For me, I am conflicted about the day. When my dad was here, Mom always suggested what to get him for a gift. I'm not sure if she was afraid I would forget or ignore the day, or if she was just being helpful. Either way, we had a cake and gifts and celebrated the day. Now I would rather ignore the day but the retail industry doesn't let up on the reminders. I knew Father's Day was soon but I didn't know exactly when. I was fine with that. However, the death of Tim Russert took care of that blissful ignorance. Time after time, they mention how he was taken just a few days before Father's Day and how much more tragic that makes his passing. I didn't watch his program all the time, but I happened to catch the one where he was talking about his book "Big Russ". Tom Brokaw was on and more or less interviewing him. It was a well done and riveting program as he talked about his father and the father/son relationship. It's nice when someone that so loves being a parent gets the opportunity. I sometimes wonder why God lets so many of us who truly want to be parents and would cherish their babies endlessly, are denied the chance. Hopefully, that will change.

It's an odd thing, our relationship with our parents. No matter how good or bad, close or distant, demonstrative or not,we miss our parents when they are gone. Even if we aren't sure if we were loved, or how deeply, we still miss what should have been, what we wanted the relationship to be. It's just a fact of life, our parents are supposed to be there. It is the way it's supposed to be.

Wherever Anderson is, I hope the day isn't too painful for him and that he remembers the good times he was able to share with his Dad. I hope he remembers the love he was given and the sweet memories and that these feel his heart and bring him some comfort. I'm sure his dad is looking down and watching over him.

photo taken by Jeff Hutchens, AC360blog