Happy Birthday, Dad

January 3rd would have been my dad's 68th birthday. While my relationship with my father was mostly strained, a good friend of mine encouraged me to think about the good memories and moments I had with my dad. So, I tried and came up with this:

• When I had moved out in my first "big girl" apartment, my roommates and I were missing a few kitchen items--okay, a lot of kitchen items. Dad overheard my conversation with my mother about this. I wasn't asking for anything, just joking about our makeshift appliances and what not. Although during this visit, he never sat foot in the same room as me, before I left, a brand new set of cookware was setting on the quilt box in the living room. He had gone to the store and purchased it for me. That meant a lot.
• He taught me "righty tighty, lefty loosey." I still use that to this day.
• He also encouraged me to think critically. While that probably came back to bite him, he did always push me to think what a song, movie, or book was really saying.
• I love Law & Order; so did my dad. He watched detective shows all the time. I watched television with him because that was my time to be with him without chaos. Columbo was one of his favs.
• Dad taught me everything I know about sports--basketball being my fav.
• When he played any kind of board or card game, he always bemoaned, "What to do when you don't know what to do." That always made me laugh.
• When he traveled, he would draw me cartoons on notepads from the hotels where he stayed.
• He played pass the balloon more time than I can count. You know, blow up a balloon and don't let it hit the ground.