I should be inserting cool pictures of father’s day gifts for all the cool dads out there, but no. This Father’s Day, I want to write about my dad. A devoted career Army officer and an adoring husband, my dad was not the best dad in the world. He was married to his career and my mother. He was seldom home as we roamed about different countries abroad and when he was home he was almost always abrasive, expecting his children to be perfect. We loved him, though, as all children love their fathers, and it is only now that I can see the gifts that he gave us with all the love he had to give.
Perseverance
My dad whatever he did, he did with 150% effort. Don’t do it unless you do it right, he said.
Determination
Don’t ever give up. Never never never
Loyalty
No matter how difficult my mother and her chronic condition were, my father stood by her and I never once saw him talk about or display giving up on her – ever.
Intelligence
With an eidetic memory, my dad could look at something and have it down, never having to look at it again. The encyclopedia Britannica and millions of books surrounded us all through our childhood; the bookstore was a place where money flowed as we chose any books we wanted and Dad always bought them for us.
Knowledge
Dad taught us to love learning, to express ourselves with grammar and grace, to be eloquent.
Love
My dad taught us that love comes in many forms and guises. He loved us with discipline and rules, and although we sometimes hated his actions, I look back and see how he was trying to make sure that we survived. His love was not perfect. But it was his love and his way of giving. Sometimes as adults we get to look back and see that it may not have been the love we wanted but it was still love and still being a father.
To my father’s memory. Colonel David Robert Young. I miss you and love you Dad
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