I would like to pay tribute to my father. Not for how I feel about his death, but rather the feelings I had/have for him in life (which were usually not good).
Why would I wish to honor someone that I had bad feelings for? Good question. The answer? He made and still makes me laugh.
I started out thinking of all the people I could pay tribute to--my grandmothers, my grandfather or any number of people that I had nothing but wonderful, fluffy bunny feelings and memories for. But my thoughts kept returning to my father. The deciding factor came when my neice started her menstural cycle and it reminded me of what happened my first time.
The day after I started, I had a terrible stomach ache (I didn't know what it was at the time) and I called home to be picked up from school.
Dad came and got me, and as he drove me home, he kept grinning giving me looks out of the corner of his eye. Then out of the blue he says, "So now you're a woman?" I was mortified, I scrunched down in the seat the cried out what any 13 year old would, "DAA-AAD!"
As I was telling this story to my neice, it suddenly occrred to me that, after that incident, I was never again embarrassed about having a period. I also thought of other occasions and how my father's advice or sense of humor influenced how I reacted. I was truly amazed at many good decisions I made based on my father's influence.
If it weren't for Dad, I wouldn't have these wonderful, funny and yes, at times, embarrassing memories to share with his grandchildren.
Thank You Dad!
Blyth Olwen
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