Monday, June 20, 2011

Father's Day Tribute

Sigmund Freud said that a man only becomes a man after his father dies.

He’s wrong.


I lost a teacher,
but retain the lessons he taught.

I lost a shoulder to lean on,
but retain the inner strength he gave me.

I lost someone to watch over me,
but retain the compassion I learned from him.

I lost his encouragement,
but retain the confidence he instilled.

I lost his advice,
but retain the ability to listen well.

I lost a great listener,
but retain the ability to express myself clearly.

I lost a sounding board,
but retained the ability to self critique he imparted.

I lost an accountant,
but retain the ability to do my own taxes as he instructed.

I lost an outdoor chef, 
but retain the bar-b-que tips he passed along.

I lost someone to tell me jokes,
but retain the sense of humor he tickled.

I lost someone to watch off beat movies with,
but retain the varied tastes we shared.

I lost someone to challenge me with puzzles,
but retain the problem solving skills they developed.

I lost someone to introduce me to new things,
but retain the sense of wonder he fostered.

I lost an enthusiastic fan,
but retain the creativity he encouraged.

I lost a man to aspire to,
but retain the aspirations.

I lost a guide,
but retain the path he showed me.

I lost the man who gave me every opportunity,
but learned to support others.

I lost a wonderful father,
but learned how to be one.

I did not become a man because my father died,
I became a man years ago, because of the way he lived.



Ten Random Bits of Dad Wisdom (minus his thoughts on environmentalism, as they are mostly unprintable):


On Dealing with Adversity:
"Aging sucks, but it beats the alternative.”

On Flood Plains:
"They should buy out all the home owners, make them move, and then build a reservior there."

On Comic Book Characters:
"You do know they're all fictional, right?"

On Practicality:
"The bigger they are, the harder they hit.”

On Parenting:
"No matter how much you learn or how strong you get, remember: I'll always be smarter than you, and I'll always be able to knock you on your ass." 

On Stress Management:
"You can only do what you can do. Then go home to what’s important.”

On Spousal Togetherness During Home Improvement Projects:
"If the police tell you I accidentally stabbed myself a hundred and thirty seven times with a wallpaper knife, shoot your mother."

On Limitations:
"There is no good way to pick up a toilet."

On Willpower:
"I knew I would have eaten ice cream every night I was here alone, which I shouldn't, so I ate the whole container the first day to keep it from tempting me."

On Decision Making:
"I never regretted anything I did; I only regretted the things I didn’t get to do."

Stan McGinley 11/17/1939-6/20/2008- Practicing one of his many arts. 

15 comments:

Nick said...

I still think of your dad often and will always miss him and his laugh.

Jeff McGinley said...

Thanx for stopping in, and the thoughts.

Antonia Nedder said...

Loved, loved loved it Jeff! One of your best.

Jeff McGinley said...

Thanx Antonia. Means a lot.

Linda said...

I could always see where your humor came from once I met your mom and dad.

Jeff McGinley said...

Thanx much Linda (I suppose I should wait and respond all at once...I'm still kinda new at this)

Helen said...

How very special your Dad was..and how well you captured his essence.Thanks for sharing
ox
Helen

Jeff McGinley said...

Many thanx for the thoughts (this one IS important enough to reply to each one.)

Tracey said...

Ok, I cried.

Jeff McGinley said...

Thanx, hope you laughed a little too.

Anonymous said...

This gets better each time I read it.

Jeff McGinley said...

Many thanx, compliments on this one mean more to me than any other.

Unknown said...

Love this!

Kim Luer said...

Helped me when you wrote it. Helped me again today. Today is truly hard. But this brought a smile through the tears. Thanks big brother.

Jeff McGinley said...

Thank you, that means a lot.