I LOVE YOU DAD

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE MY FATHER PASSED AWAY. SINCE THEN I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED WHAT KEPT THE TWO OF US ON SUCH DIFFERENT PATHS. NOT THAT I DIDN'T LOVE HIM, I WAS JUST A KID GROWING UP AND I COULDN'T COMPREHEND WHAT HE WAS ALL ABOUT AND I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY HE WAS SO CRITICAL OF ME. HIS FATHER WAS A MAN OF VERY FEW WORDS AND STRICKLY BUSINESS. CONVERSATION WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION. MAYBE THAT WAS PART OF DAD'S PROBLEM. AS I'VE GOTTON OLDER I HAVE REALIZED VERY LITTLE OF THIS WAS ABOUT ME..IT WAS PROBABLY HIS CHILDHOOD AND THE TOUGH CLIMB TOWARD THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN IN LIFE THAT FRUSTRATED HIM SO MUCH. AS A VICTIM OF EPILEPSY AND CONSEQUENTLY MANY ACCIDENTS HE FOUND THAT KEEPING A JOB AND SUPPORTING HIS FAMILY WAS DIFFICULT. I THINK HE ALWAYS FELT INADEQUATE BECAUSE OF IT. HE HAD BEEN A BAKER, IRON WORKER, CARPENTER AND MORE. THEREFORE, WHEN I DECIDED TO GO INTO TELEVISION AND RADIO ANNOUNCING, HE WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. HIS IDEAS FOR ME WERE GETTING A TRADE AND WORKING WITH MY HANDS LIKE HE HAD DONE. BUT IT WASN'T FOR ME. AS AN EXAMPLE, I REMEMBER IN HIGH SCHOOL I SPENT A YEAR TRYING TO PUT FOUR BOARDS TOGETHER TO MAKE A BOOK CASE IN SHOP CLASS. AS TIME CREEPED ALONG AND MY CAREER IN BROADCASTING WENT UPWARD I THINK DAD WAS SECRETLY PROUD OF ME AND HE BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND MY CHOICES IN LIFE WERE OKAY, TOO. AFTER ALL, I WAS MAKING MORE MONEY THAN HE EVER DID AND HIS FRIENDS WERE COMPLEMENTING ME FOR MY ANNOUNCING. I ALSO UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WASN'T MY SHORTCOMINGS BUT IT WAS HIS ROLL OF THE DICE IN LIFE THAT MADE HIM THE WAY HE WAS. ONE GREAT THING HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS -I TOOK MORE TIME AND SPENT MORE DAYS WITH MY SON THAN MY FATHER EVERY DID WITH ME. THANKS TO HIM HE BROUGHT A FATHER AND SON CLOSER. NOW THAT I'M THE ELDER GUY I REALIZE DAD DID LOVE ME BUT HE JUST COULDN'T MUSTER UP THE WORDS TO OPEN UP HIS HEART TO SHOW HIS FEELINGS. IT'S SUCH A SHAME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE SIMPLY CAN'T SAY "I LOVE YOU." TRY IT YOURSELF...I KNOW IT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS.