Father's Day Thanks

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there with an accurate count of their children! 

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my own father who gave up the seminary as a young man in favor of procreation.  But for the grace of God go I. My dad as a priest?  Holy Moses.  The Church would have never been the same.

In the name of absolute consistency, my husband is spending yet another day at work.  Trudging along through a life of "got to make the donuts." He is at the firehouse today probably wondering how many people will be calling Chicago 911 emergency services for seasonal allergies. Seriously. The pollen count is going to be high - a busy day for sure. This makes me wonder why the appropriate use of 911 is not taught in the Chicago Public Schools. After all, I got my end-of-year paperwork from the Chicago Public Schools reminding me to feed and read to my kids this summer. There was also a list of activities in which I should consider my children to engage:

• Jump rope
• Visit your relatives
• Sit under a tree
• Ride your bike
• Build a sand castle at the beach or park

I really appreciated the last one. What would we have done had we arrived at the beach without these instructions? All this sand?  Do we sweep it up?  How do we walk in it?  Where's that sheet? Ohhhhh - see here, we're supposed to build a sand castle. Thank you, thank you CPS. But look! I've got sand in my toes now.  Quick, call 911.

Happy Father's Day, Joe.  Thank you for continuing to make the donuts every day for your often unappreciative wife. I need to remember that many mothers walk this parenting road truly alone without the emotional, financial, or physical support you provide daily. There is nobody with whom to discuss whether a 103 degree fever warrants a 3 am trip to the ER. Nobody to put together the Christmas toys with directions that only electrical engineers can make sense of.  Nobody who can provide assurances on days when one feels like she is doing everything wrong and failing her children miserably. When a son hits his first ball out of the ballpark, who but a father will agree that the world has never known such talent? Who but a father can reassure a lovelorn daughter that he will always be the one man she can count on? I do not know how moms go this alone. They should be issued superhero capes on Father's Day to mark their amazing feat.

Thank you, Joe for making it all that much easier and allowing me to do the one full-time job I love whole-heartedly, despite my complaints to the contrary. We've got your new hammock here, all boxed up and ready for you to assemble. Once you have a day off that is.

Here's hoping for a great day to the many dads out there who take emergency and non-emergency calls from their families. I guess not being able to find the coupon for The Sports Authority could have waited until tomorrow.  Sorry about that, honey.

We love you!