He's Home... Finally!!

When I was in elementary school, I always felt comfort in knowing that I could call my mom anytime and she would be home. I am sure that she wasn't always there, but I thought she was and I guess that was all that mattered. She used to listen to a radio in the kitchen to a guy called Paul Harvey, and can the most wonderful fruits and vegetables. Every night she made dinner. I remember setting the table constantly glancing out the window hoping for a glimpse of Dad coming down the driveway.

I knew that my Dad would be home every night for dinner, we would sit at our white table with black and white chairs and on special occasion when we had spaghetti, we would get every red candle in the house and have a candlelight meal. Smelling the spaghetti sauce that my mom had been preparing for what seemed to be all day made the anticipation all the more intense. That was what it was all about. Being together, eating spaghetti, and talking about how our day was.

Every winter Dad would have to travel up north to Petoskey or Traverse City, for work. He would be gone all week and home on the weekends. I remember missing him, but my mom planned secret trips so that we could go up and surprise him. We LOVED that!! Even if we had to take homework and practice the piano at the motel it was worth it. I remember one place he stayed that had an air hockey table and elevators.... HEAVEN!

As a kid I know I was naive to a lot of what was going on, in fact in writing these memories, I wonder how much was accurate. It was my reality though- so it is what I cling to. However as I grew into an adult, and as the world changed from blissful simplicity, I realized that things at work weren't always so great for my dad. I know that is true for many... too many. He wasn't able to use his creativity to full capacity, there were deadlines, and quotas, and pressures of all kinds. He started to put in long hours- sometimes only being home for a few hours to eat and sleep before returning to the same thing. For someone with the appreciation for small simple things, like the beauty of softly falling snow, or relaxing on a hill while flying a kite in the blue sky, I was sad that his obligation to work had robbed him of these pleasures. I had learned to appreciate the same things and wanted him to be able to enjoy life- not just work it away from behind a desk, in a corner, surrounded by people he wouldn't choose to be with otherwise.

And now as of 5pm on July 27th after 37 LONG years of waiting... HE IS RETIRED! I hope that he will take time now to catch up on all the beautiful things he has missed. I hope he will take time to be creative in what ever way he chooses. I hope he will spend as much time with his grand kids as he wants to. I hope he will take the time to read the manual on the new DVD video recorder he just got so he can use it soon- not 4 years from now. I hope he will learn everything he wants to about anything he wants to. I hope he will reminisce on the great times we had and he had growing up. I hope he will go to Petoskey and Traverse City in the summer and walk along the beach, see the sunset, look for Petoskey stones and experience the natural beauty that is there. I hope he loves his new life and I can't wait for HIM to be the one to always be home when I call.... or when my kids do.

Congratulations Dad!!

A toughtful co-worker copied covers of all of the books my dad had worked on in the past 37 years... Amazing!!

I was so impressed with the amount of the people that really appreciated my dad and came to his party to tell him so. I always knew he was great and it was nice to see others feel the same. It really was a wonderful event.