My message to ALL fathers…
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I’ve been reflecting on the extraordinary impact of a good father (or father figure), and the importance he plays in a child’s life. Not just as the child is growing up … but the ripples that continue throughout his or her life!
On Father’s Day in 2018, I decided to go spend some time with my dad. I stopped on the way and picked up some breakfast “to go.” That morning, I had breakfast “with” my dad at the cemetery. Spent a couple of hours immersed in tender memories. There were tears of sadness, but mostly tears of profound #gratitude, for the blessing my dad was … and continues to be … in my life.
So many memories came flooding through …
- Being 3 and dancing on my dad’s size 15 AAA feet.
- Helping dad plant row after row of tomato seedlings late spring each year. He would make the space with the shovel, I would carefully place the seedling, then dad would heel it in. (To this day the smell of a tomato plant makes me think of my dad.)
- Dad loved to garden and he grew the BEST tasting tomatoes and cantaloupe. He took such pleasure in sharing his harvest with neighbors, friends and strangers alike. People still remember, decades later.
- He loved the mountains (“God’s Country”), the beauty of Nature, and fishing in a mountain stream.
- Animals were drawn to him. I remember our horses gently but firmly coming between my parents if my mom had the nerve to walk down the field holding hands with my dad. Penny and Star clearly thought he belonged to them!
- I thought of my dad’s honesty, his incredible work ethic, and his delightful sense of humor.
- And I thought about dad’s tender heart, the way he honored and adored my mom, his countless acts of service, and the Legacy of Kindness he left behind. My brothers Carl, Scott and I, and dad’s grandchildren and great grandchildren have much to live up to.
At the cemetery on that Father’s Day, I wore my dad’s gray flannel shirt. (It’s the one I took from his closet and wore during his last days as we gathered to stay with dad when the end was near. I wrap myself up in that shirt when I need my dad close by … or when I want to take him with me on an adventure I know he would have loved … like my trip to Wales.) I listened to his favorite music (the Mills Brothers and Glenn Miller), let the tears flow, and I thanked my lucky stars that Robert Hendricksen is my dad.
My message to ALL fathers … never underestimate YOUR importance in your child’s life.
Make every effort to love, nurture and protect your child. Show up. Be intentional. Do your best. Respect their mother. Show what it means to be a good human being (and forgive yourself if you sometimes fall short. No one is perfect). Let your child know that they truly matter.
SO much of who I am and my “sense of self” comes from being the daughter of an extraordinary father who thought I “hung the moon.”
DAD'S MATTER! Happy Father’s Day!
