Today's My Deceased Father's Birthday

Today's my dad's birthday. He'd be 66-years old if he was still alive. He died 5 years ago -- almost to the day. He died on May 12, 2000.

I thought I'd have more time with my dad. At least, more time than I had. I visited my dad less than a year before he died, so I did get some time with him. Likewise, I'd visited him on and off over the years before that. Still, there are a lot of things I never did concerning my dad.

For one, my dad had never seen any of my four children. I'd always figured I'd get them out to visit him when they were old enough to travel well. My wife and I kept having another baby every four or five years, and we never seemed to have a convenient time to visit. When my dad died, my youngest wasn't even 2-years old yet.

My dad lived in Colorado, and I lived in North Carolina. Always, in the back of my mind, I considered one day I might go and live in Colorado for a while, near my dad, and get to know him better. One day.

I spoke to a gentleman today on the bus ride home who also misses his dad. This gentleman told me how his dad wrote him a letter, affirming his son and how proud he was of his son. I didn't receive anything like that from my dad. Partly, I think, because my dad's cancer metastasized quickly into his brain, and his death was rather sudden.

I could write a lot more about my dad and thoughts I have concerning him and my relationship with him, but I'll leave that all for later. I miss my dad, and I miss the lost opportunities I may have had with him.

Happy Birthday, Dad.