Fathers' Day

About a month after my father died, an employee's father died. About a month after that, another employee's father died. At that point, I thought, "Well, it's going to be a crappy Fathers' Day this year."

Then I started thinking that I'm not alone. The father of a coworker six months younger than me died a few years ago, and that man was younger than my father. My dad's older brother died several years ago. (As you can see, longevity is poor on that side of my family, especially for the smokers.) In fact, I have a friend who lost both of his parents when he was in his twenties. This sounds like an odd sort of club I'm assembling.

Unfortunately, I have nominations for even younger members. I received a Christmas card from a woman I met in my second year of college. Her husband died in a car wreck last year, making her a widow and single mother of a 21-month-old girl. The brother-in-law of one of my best friends died two weeks ago when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. He (my age) left behind a widow, an ex-wife, and two children: an eight year old boy and a daughter who will never know her father because she is only seven months old.

I'm on the verge of being sappy and maudlin and telling you all to strengthen relationships with people you love because you never know how much time you have. However, that would be a downer, and it isn't what I intend. I mean this to be more of a "realize how special you are and how many people you touch" kind of message. Enjoy and love the people in your lives because they enjoy and love you. And, this Fathers' Day, raise a glass to your father and all the fathers you know or have known. I sure will.