I just sent my dad a card–his birthday is March 4. I must admit I remember his birthday most easily, because it’s in the same month as mine. He grew up in a totally different era than I–he was born in 1933, the worst year of the Great Depression, the year Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, and the year King Kong was released (no pun intended) in theaters. And though he was born in Rochester, New York, he was raised here in Pensacola (as was my mom, whom he met in high school). He lived through the Second World War, and voluntarily served in the Korean War, in the Air Force. Eventually he and my mom moved to Mobile, where he worked as an electrician, and later an instrumental technician, for about 40 years. Ironically, he and my mom still live in Mobile, while I live in Pensacola (it’s like we’ve switched places)!
I was born in 1966, so as you can imagine, we disagree on alot of things! But there are many things we share: We both enjoy Western classical music (particularly that of the Romantic Period and the Twentieth Century), as well as folk music (especially Irish folk and bluegrass); we both enjoy deer hunting and freshwater fishing; we both need female companionship, and are especially attracted to voluptuous women; we both oppose the institution of gambling casinos and state lotteries, as well as the legalization of unnecessary abortion; we both support the death penalty, for violent crime, as well as the conservation of Earth’s natural resources; we both believe in fairness, and in true equality for all people; we both like cherry cake and pumpkin pie; we both love life, and have a strong survival instinct!
Just a few years ago, I would have never written anything like this–I would have focused on the differences between my dad and me, even the things for which I resented him. And there are times I dislike him. But I always love him. After all, he is a part of me!
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