This photo is probably my all-time favorite of my dad and I. On this particular day in March of 2005, me, my brother-in-law Ira and my dad made a journey to Dodgertown in Vero Beach to watch a spring training game. The tree over my left shoulder gave us shade the entire game, and we liked it so much, my dad had no problem joining us for trips in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (the final year Dodgertown was open before the team abandoned Florida for Arizona).
That's the kind of person my dad was. If I was interested in something, he became interested in it, too.
He was always a Dunkin' Donuts fan even before I started working with them from a PR standpoint - once I did that, he always made it a point to call me and tell me when he was visiting one for a cup of coffee.
He sat through two heartbreaking FSU losses to Miami in 2000 and 2002 in the upper deck despite being afraid of heights.
He originally began listening to Meat Loaf and Queen because I liked both groups.
He began using the internet in 2000 while I was still in Tallahassee so he could email me, watch music videos on YouTube and get sports news from ESPN, long past the average age of people who use computers.
He even let me explain Twitter to him, and understood it enough that when I showed him I was quoted in a Sarah Talalay article eight days before he died, he laughed (because the quote was about his short height) and told me he was proud of me.
I miss him the most in the mornings on the way to work - I used to call him religious at 8am to talk about sports, life and whatever else was on his mind or mine.
In short, my dad was my role model and I always try to do everything for my children that he did for me. I'm happy that my son had a great relationship with him and that he got to spend one year getting to play with my daughter.
Happy Birthday, Daddy. Enjoy the donut!
1 comment:
Great post and I know your Dad is still here with us, looking out for us all. Love you!!!!!!!
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