Father's Day Weekend!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there (in advance, because I don't often post on weekends)

I would like to touch on two Fathers who have shaped my life:

First of all, my biological father: I never knew him. I know of him. I know little things about him. For example, he was an antique dealer and an horologist, he used to live in England - that is where my mother met him, he met my family a few times in Canada, he used to send me antique teddy bears and piggy banks, once he sent me an antique clock: it was engraved, from Papa in England. He was from Austria, and I heard that his father had been a great conductor. He was a spectre to me. I think he must have loved me, because why send gifts? I think he must have felt cut off because one day when I was about two the gifts stopped. He was a myth then, a legend to me. This shaped my life because I grew up never knowing. Always wondering, does he ever think of me and wonder too?

Then there's the person I call Dad. My stepfather. We didn't always like each other: I thought he was coming to take my mother away from me, he thought I was a brat (I was, really.) He taught me many things: how to appreciate good music, how to be honest, how to be self disciplined. He taught me that joy can be found in many places, and that it's ok to always try new things. He taught me that it doesn't matter who you are related to, your family is in your heart. He treated me like his own - better maybe. I think we needed each other. I know he saved me. When I was fourteen I was led astray by a much older man who was most certainly a predator. I ran away from home to be with him, and my step dad found me and brought me home. He was so angry, he smashed in the headlight of the guy's car. He was a little angry at me too, but when we had worked through the pain of that event, and learned to forgive each other, there was a bond between us that will always be there. My Stepdad walked me down the aisle when I got married last year. He looked great in his tuxedo. I don't know if he knows what his love has meant to me - what it meant to me that he chose to be my father, even though there were so many times he could have given up on me.

Happy Fathers day Dad! Your presence in my life has been a blessing.