Miss you Dad

My father passed away nine years ago today. He was 73 when he died. My wife and I had a mass said for Dad this morning and will go to his grave this afternoon.

It hardly seems like 9 years since my father died. I don't know if it feels shorter or longer. Alot has happened in the interval. My father was born in the Bronx, the 2nd oldest child in an Italian family. He played pro baseball(low minor leagues), served in the Navy during WWII, was married then had two children and then was divorced. All in California, he returned to New York in 1947 and owned a series of businesses. The two I know were the Beacon Motel and Smithtown Motor Lodge both in Suffolk County New York. My Dad married my mother in 1960, I was born the next year.

I have good memories of Dad and a few bad ones but I don't dwell on the later. He was a good father, I wished I had the opportunity to be father like him but such hasn't been my fate.

Dad could be awfully busy with his businesses, but he took us kids to ballgames, winter vacations in Florida, Summer vacations travelling the country. I got to visit 36 states before graduating high school. How many kids never leave their home state. We had fun together, he could also be demanding.

I have two small regrets. Dad never came to my wedding to Leonita in 1989. He didn't want to make the long plane trip to the Philippines. Dad and Leonita got along great after she came to the states in December 1989, I think he even grew to regret not coming. If my Mom had been alive, she would have dragged Dad all the way there. LOL. "Our son is getting married and we're not going??? Of course we are!"

Another thing is I never got to meet Dad's California family. I know he had two children, one died and he may have been estranged from the other. When Dad died, I was clueless as how to contact them. Wouldn't they have wanted to know? Not even my Aunts and Uncles could help me out with this.

These are just minor things. Dad, thank you for everything.

Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe, Freedom Watch, Adam's Blog, Basil's Blog, Third World County, Is it Just me?, Right Wing Nation, Liberal Wrong Wing,