Dear Jack,I was thinking about my dad today. You know he is really a remarkable man, and I wanted to the world to know it.
He was born in Conneaut in the fifties. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was very young. His father was a drunk and very distant. My grandmother ended up divorcing him. In the process of all this my dad and uncle moved a lot, and even spent some time in a children's home until my grandmother was able to take them back to Ohio and her family. I have heard him speak about his childhood, and he has very little happy to say. He does mention happiness when he moved to Ohio and moved in with his maternal grandparents. My great-grandparents owned a truck-stop in North Kingsville, and he and my uncle spent a good portion of their time there.
When my dad spoke of his father at that time, he did not have much nice to say. It would seem that my grandpa Day was abusive in addition to being a drunk and in LA.
My dad married a girl young, and divorced her. He also was in the Navy for some time. He moved around the US, and does not speak much about this time of his life with me. I gather he was wilder then. I know he had an alcohol problem, as he mentions that as the reason he does not drink anymore.
He is an inspiration with regards to this, he gave up alcohol, and smoking with sheer willpower. I have heard of few that do stuff like that so determinedly.
He married my mom, who had three children already. Taking on the responsibility of three children is a lot. They've been together since 1980. 28 years! They have their times where they fight, but who doesn't. It seems as time has gone on, that has decreased.
I grew up enveloped in his strong work ethic. He worked hard and constantly. I remember when I was young, I asked him if he was going to take a day off for his birthday, and he said he didn't take days off. This is true. Growing up, he has always worked often on Saturdays.
He loves music. I often wonder if we were of a higher class family if he would not have been a professional musician of classical guitar. He knows how to play Guitar, Bass, stand up Bass, Drums, Harmonica, Piano, and can tune all of the strings. He teaches Guitar to various people as it is, and I wish he could focus on that more.
He and my mom are active in Cursillo, and he plays Christian folk music with various churches in the Atlanta area. He's very good at it too.
I know when I came out, it was hard on him. Yet he did not push away, and in the fullness of time has come to be very supportive and loving of not only me, but Michael.
Here is to my Dad!
He was born in Conneaut in the fifties. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was very young. His father was a drunk and very distant. My grandmother ended up divorcing him. In the process of all this my dad and uncle moved a lot, and even spent some time in a children's home until my grandmother was able to take them back to Ohio and her family. I have heard him speak about his childhood, and he has very little happy to say. He does mention happiness when he moved to Ohio and moved in with his maternal grandparents. My great-grandparents owned a truck-stop in North Kingsville, and he and my uncle spent a good portion of their time there.
When my dad spoke of his father at that time, he did not have much nice to say. It would seem that my grandpa Day was abusive in addition to being a drunk and in LA.
My dad married a girl young, and divorced her. He also was in the Navy for some time. He moved around the US, and does not speak much about this time of his life with me. I gather he was wilder then. I know he had an alcohol problem, as he mentions that as the reason he does not drink anymore.
He is an inspiration with regards to this, he gave up alcohol, and smoking with sheer willpower. I have heard of few that do stuff like that so determinedly.
He married my mom, who had three children already. Taking on the responsibility of three children is a lot. They've been together since 1980. 28 years! They have their times where they fight, but who doesn't. It seems as time has gone on, that has decreased.
I grew up enveloped in his strong work ethic. He worked hard and constantly. I remember when I was young, I asked him if he was going to take a day off for his birthday, and he said he didn't take days off. This is true. Growing up, he has always worked often on Saturdays.
He loves music. I often wonder if we were of a higher class family if he would not have been a professional musician of classical guitar. He knows how to play Guitar, Bass, stand up Bass, Drums, Harmonica, Piano, and can tune all of the strings. He teaches Guitar to various people as it is, and I wish he could focus on that more.
He and my mom are active in Cursillo, and he plays Christian folk music with various churches in the Atlanta area. He's very good at it too.
I know when I came out, it was hard on him. Yet he did not push away, and in the fullness of time has come to be very supportive and loving of not only me, but Michael.
Here is to my Dad!
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