A Little Late In The Day ....Father's Day

My Dad was probably like most other people's Dad's.....
he worked hard
took care of his family
instilled work ethic in his children
and was the center of our family......

Dad had keen ability for sensing what I was feeling at times.  He would comment to me before I had even said anything about something bothering me.  He told me not to be so hard on myself.  He told me he would miss me when I left home.  He told me I would get an experience like no other place when I went to work in the Big Apple. We seemed to be on the same wavelength a lot of the time.

As Father's Day was approaching, I had Dad on my mind a lot.  I thought of the times he went to battle for me and the times he just put up with me.

The just put up with was anything from:
-his daughter in the second grade volunteering her Dad to make hundred's of copies of cards we needed for school (was I crazy to do that without asking him first???).
-taking his HS Freshman daughter to a Father-Daughter Dance run by the nuns
-quizzing his daughter for a Biology exam late into the night and then noticing it had started to snow and the exam would probably be postponed anyway
-teaching me how to drive (I was an awful student) ....in this instance he did pass the lessons over to Mom until the day of my road test and then he took me for the final test drive

The times he went to battle for me were more memorable and in this day and age probably would not be tolerated:
-after my 5th grade teacher embarrassed me in front of the class and made me cry, Dad wrote a letter to the teacher.  She took it to the Board of Education lawyers stating it was a threat on her life.  LOL....all Dad said was her actions would not be tolerated again....
-when I was a HS Senior, my brother and I bought a car together (yes, we shared a car).  Dad took me to DMV.  The lady who took care of me was really rude to me not aware it was my Dad standing behind me (I think she thought he was the next person on line).  Dad had finally heard enough and asked to speak with the office manager.  By the time the conversation with the manager was through, he lead us to the license plate room.  He told us I could pick out any license plates I wanted,  Dad and I had a great time walking up and down the rows looking at different license plates trying to decide which ones I wanted.  I ended up picking out  66RNI....funny how I still remember that plate number but can't remember the license plate on the SUV in  my driveway right now!!
- Dad was not one to let his anger show quickly or often but one time a neighbor made a nasty remark about me to Dad.  Her comment was not really warranted either.  Dad stood there calmly and called for my brother, George.  He then instructed George to tie a piece of rope from the bumper of his car to our neighbors fence. (I guess our neighbor had forgotten that for years her fence sat on our property.) When dad gave the word, my brother drive down the street dragging the fence in question behind him.  A few weeks later a new fence was placed on our neighbors property.  My Dad did strongly suggest they make sure it was on their property or it would be removed again.

He taught me how to stand up for myself . He taught me work ethic.  He taught me about having a sense of family and that family came first.

He taught me......

He was my mentor and my hero.....

Happy Father's Day......

See you next week.......

Inanimate Objects

Life has been hectic lately and I apologize for missing an entry or two but I should be back on track now......hopefully.....

A few weeks, ago I wrote a blog entry about an old brown phone book. As I continue to purge and clean out the house I keep coming across items that cause a rush of memories.  Also, a small package arrived in the mail this week that also gave me another piece of my past and provided another chance look back through the years.

The item I came across this week was a key ring.

Well not really a key ring, actually several key rings all attached and left in a bowl hidden in a corner of my kitchen counter.

As I started to look through all of them I couldn't believe I had so many.  In fact, I stopped carrying them several years ago after I was warned that the weight of them might hurt my car.  I was told that when I put a key into the ignition of my car and had that dangling weight attached damage might ensue. They could also be used as a weapon in the right situation and made my pocketbook ridiculously heavy.

The first one I noticed was a little leather strap.  It  has been attached to the first set of apartment keys from when I was first married. There were key rings from Disney World, Barbados, USC, Winthrop University, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Missouri, the NY Giants, Yankee Stadium, a bottle cap opener, from the play Wicked and a Wicked Witches hat too..... and on and on.  There was one that said New York New York from Jenn's 7th grade dance 19 years ago.  Together they represented vacations, beginnings, hello's, I love you's, fun times, endings and goodbye's.  The oldest key ring was over 35 years old......more than half my life was on those rings.

Some I tossed as I couldn't even remember why I had them and others.......I just couldn't toss away. Knowing me most of you are probably not surprised.....I am a sentimental sap and get attached to "things".

So there they sit.....in a bowl....meaning nothing to most who would look at them.  I am sure someone would say "why"? But I look at them like a photo album....stages of my life....that I just couldn't throw away........

The small package that arrived in the mail from my brother, Greg, this week was another piece of my past.  Before my parents house was sold last year, Greg cut some pieces of wood from one of the beams in the basement.  Being the only real craftsman in the family, he took the wood and turned it into pens for his siblings.  He included the number 33 on the pen to remind us of 33 Haven Terrace. That was a Raboni home for over 45 years.  The wood from the pen was part of a home that was the center of our family.  From graduations to birthdays to proms to weddings to christenings to wonderful holiday gatherings to gatherings after the funerals of Mom and Dad.....the pen represents the lives of George and Irene (Dad and Mom) and their 4 children.  It symbolizes the laughter and tears and memories of a place that is no longer mine.

I held the pen and touched the wood.  Such a small item that held years of memories both happy and sad. It held "i love you's" and "i'll miss you's" and "I'm sorry's" all in the small box and it's contents.

So there you have to two items that allowed me to look back with fondness.

As I held them both in my hands I smiled for what I held meant so much to me and reminded me that the memories embedded in my mind and soul are real.

I will buy more key rings as I continue to move into Chapter Three....there is still room in the bowl....

And as far as the pen....it will be used for special cards and letters and maybe just maybe .....I will use it at my first book signing bringing my past with me into my future.....

See you next week.......