Fathers Day, Quantity Time!

  Thinking about the dads in my life.  I'm with neither of them today.  Mark has taken M. to his second football camp of the summer, so they are gone for the day.  My own dad lives 800 miles away, but I will see him in two short weeks. 
  When I was little, we lived in the small town that my dad grew up in.  My dad spent time with us.  What I remember most fondly, were Saturday mornings!  It would be just the two of us.  I would run errands with him.  We would bring the trash to the dump.  This was a fascinating adventure!!  A busy place, with mountains of trash, and birds circling overhead.  Then, off to pick up donuts and a newspaper.  I think the name of the place was "Honey~Dew".  Often times we would stop at my grandmothers who lived just across town.  Another busy place!!  My dad had 1 older brother and 5 younger brothers, so something was always going on there!  He'd have a cup of coffee and catch up.  I'd find a cousin, uncle, or neighbor to run off outside with.  In the summer we would spend the afternoon washing the car.  I don't ever remember my dad bringing the car to a car wash!  It cost money, that (at the time) they didn't have a lot of.  Plus, nobody could get a car "shining like new money", like my dad could!!  He worked in auto body for years.  First doing, then teaching.  He had a red, 1970, Cutlass Convertible.   I would scrub white walls, rinse off soapy water and "turtle wax" the chrome.  He'd tell me, "You just ain't cool if your chrome don't shine!"

This wasn't ours, but looks a lot like it.  Ours had a black rag top.

  He often had to work a second job, but it was out of necessity.  If he had painted a car during the week, I would get to go to Morris' shop, (don't even remember the name of the shop, but I remember his bosses name) and help him peel paper and tape off of the car.  I loved this.  He made me feel as if I were really helping.  It smelled of bondo in there.  I love the smell of bondo!  Often times my uncle and cousin would be there.  My cousin and I would explore the shop, and since it was a weekend, nobody would be there.  It was a spooky place to a couple of five year old kids, a rambling old building on the edge of the woods. 
  When I got older, he would often work on a car in our garage at home.  But it was in these everyday activities that a father/daughter relationship grew.  Conversations were had.  It wasn't planned.  We didn't have to "do something".  But in everyday life, he made his children a part of it. 
  These are the qualities that I love in my husband.  We do things together!  It could be as mundane as going to Sam's Club, and Mark would say we go "As a family!"  Obviously, as the kids get older, it gets more challenging.  But we do our best to make it a priority.  I don't buy the "Quality Time" theory.  Try telling that to someone you've just started dating.  Don't you want to spend as much time with them as possible?  It's not about going to an expensive restaurant, it's about being with them.  Sharing life!

Me and my dad! And a little B!  ;)   (A while back!!)

  We are given a very short amount of time with our children, a small window of opportunity to make an impact on their lives.  (And it goes by fast!!)  I'm glad my dad made time for me!

My boys dad!