i am my father's son

After I wrote about my Mom on Mothers Day, my Dad told me something like "you don't need to do that on Father's Day." Well, its the day after, so all is fair game. (He'd probably do the same thing.)

The older I get, the more I realize that I'm like my Dad. We both chuckle out loud at the tv, spend too much time on the computer, and are terribly fond of dogs. But the time our similarities really hit home the most was when I lived in Dallas and my parents came to visit. After they left, all my friends said things like " You are just like your Dad! You do the same thing he does - you sit back all quiet and reserved and just take everything in, to the point of seeming like you're not even paying attention, and then 'zing' out of the blue comes some quip that just nails something." Hmmm...yeah, that's my Dad. I never realized I did that before then. "And you both have about a million facial expressions." Hmmm. I've heard that before, but didn't realize my Dad did that too. Sure enough, he does. "And you both walk exactly alike." That one I had heard before.

I went with my folks to Washington State to visit my Dad's side of the family when I was a freshman in high school. One day my Dad and Grandad were walking down the road. I was a few feet behind them, and I think it was my Mom and my Aunt who were further behind. They were the first to point out that my Dad walked exactly like his Dad...and I walked the same way, too. Its odd, I've never seen myself walk, but I know I walk sorta pigeon toed, and I'm told I have an unusual gait that friends have said they could recognize even before they could see my face. I marvel at how things like that pass on from one generation to the next - especially things beyond physical traits that extend to personality and mannerisms.

I don't know how it happens, but it makes me proud. I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy Father's Day, Dad.