Like most of you, my father is an important part of my life. While I think we should honor our parents every day, I would like to pay tribute to my dad today.
I grew up in a musical house thanks to my dad. From an early age, dad was involved in music. First he played classical piano, then graduated to drums and guitar. He was in a band when my mom met him and I’m sure that was one of the things that attracted her to him. We girls can’t resist a musician! It’s from my dad that I learned, not only about music, but about the artist, the songwriter the band and why all of that was important. To this day, I still open my CDs and look at the liner notes so I can see who wrote the songs and who’s playing in the band.
His love of music transferred to me and I started taking piano lessons in the sixth grade. When I advanced, I used his old sheet music to play Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart. I challenged myself to learn the difficult pieces he’d played as a child. I’m sure he wanted to cringe when he heard me stumbling through Pathetique, but he never said anything. Regardless of what I tackled musically, dad was always there to support me.
One thing that amazes me about my dad is his ability to befriend people – usually the people who are a little different. Perhaps it’s his background in psychology, but dad treats everyone fairly and doesn’t judge. He was a counselor for many years and I think his success was due to the fact that people felt comfortable around him. Dad made mistakes – we all do – but he is a better person because of them. His ability to succeed from his mistakes have given me the utmost respect for him as a father and as a person.
Happy Father’s Day, dad and thank you for being a great father, friend and person. Below is one of my favorite picture of my dad. I was taken during the summer (probably in the mid-70s) at Kimberling Oaks Resort in Kimberling City, MO where we spent many summers. I love how cool he looks in his fishing hat and retro sunglasses.
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 