A Bittersweet Father’s Day

I’ve always looked forward to father’s day.  It’s not that I expect presents.  Father’s day means I usually get to see both my kids.  Today was no different in that regard but it was significantly different in another respect.  You see, my daughter, who is married to an airman in the Air Force, left this morning heading to California to be with her husband.  They will both leave from there in five weeks headed to Japan for four years.  So I, along with my wife, son and mother in law, took her to the airport early this morning.  We saw my daughter for the last time in perhaps a year.  Thankfully my son came in late last night so he could go with us.  I’m sure it meant a lot to my daughter.  I know it meant a lot to me.

My daughter and I have had something of a stormy relationship over the years.  She was not an easy child.  But in the last few years we’ve mended some fences and I feel so close to her today.  Indeed, she probably leaned a little too much on me.  I thank God for healing our relationship.  I’m so proud of how much she’s grown up and matured.  And I’m thankful that she has married a great guy.  I trust her husband to take care of her and treat her right.

Her husband went to C5 school at Travis AFB a couple of weeks ago.  We took him to the airport on a Sunday morning as well.  I’ve grown quite close to him and it was difficult to say goodbye to him.  But saying goodbye to my little girl today was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.  And I think that says something about our relationship and how big a deal father’s day is.  Even though it was difficult to say goodbye, that fact speaks to what a great relationship I have with my daughter and that makes it all worthwhile.

I don’t want to minimize how much my son means to me.  We’ve pretty much always had a great relationship.  He’s a great kid with a great wife and I’m so very proud of him!  I talk to him almost every day even though we live three hours apart.  I know I can go see him next week if I want to.  He’ll probably be back down here in the next couple of months.

My daugher, on the other hand, has gone beyond my reach.  There will be no spontaneous weekend vistis.  She won’t be around on her birthday or mine.  Just sitting here writing this is difficult but at the same time I’m filled with pride at just how far she has come and I’m filled with confidence that she will continue to grow and mature.  I’m convinced that she will not just be okay, she’ll blossom more and more and she’ll have experiences that most people can only dream of.  As much as I’d like to keep her here, I wouldn’t keep her future from her for anything in the world.

So this is a bittersweet father’s day for me.  I wish every father was as blessed as I am.  I have two of the most wonderful children in the world.  They both make me proud.  Maybe I didn’t do such a bad job.

Happy father’s day.