Happy Father's Day Dad

by Kay Heitsch

My dad was born in 1910. Life was pretty rough for him as his mom died when he was 5. His father never remarried. He had 4 sisters, but they were less than enthusiastic about having a middle brother. I only know this because of the confessions of his sisters. My dad never said a mean word about these girls.

I was born when my dad was 40 years old. This was pretty old for a dad back in the '50s. Most people thought I was his granddaughter. He was really proud of having a little girl.

Dad had some issues that I'm sure were related to his troubled childhood. For example, he started to drink when he was 5 years old. He said he remembered falling down drunk at that age. He continued to drink for most of his life.

Even though dad had some issues, he did the best he could with what he had to work with. My mom would remind me of this, which now I think back, how very important that was for a child.

On this Father's Day, I'm thinking of my dad and all the dads who do the best they can with what they have to work with.

Happy Father's Day! God bless you all.