tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post6201334936142887071..comments2024-03-10T05:18:37.521-04:00Comments on Stories From A Starry Sky: Happy Birthday, DadTeresa Cypherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08940430996766842518noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-37758820665586384492012-09-10T23:29:54.567-04:002012-09-10T23:29:54.567-04:00Thanks, M.L. I've never understood how a pare...Thanks, M.L. I've never understood how a parent can walk away from a child. I am sorry that you didn't have him in your life. The father of my first two children walked out of our lives when they when they were 6 months old and 2 years old. I've begun to understand that he was most likely sick--I suspect bipolar disorder which he self-medicated with alcohol. No matter, he was an alcoholic, and to the best of my knowledge, still is. Perhaps they were better off in some ways for his absenteeism. But...there will always be that pain for them, that sense of... I can't explain it, but am sure that you well understand that for which words fail me.<br /><br />My dad was one of a kind for sure. It sometimes cracks me up at how some of his apples fell right beneath his tree, and some of them, well, maybe someone stuck them on the end of an apple branch and flung them a half acre away ;-) Ha...the differences in siblings.<br /><br />The fact that you wrote that you hoped you were a good enough father leads me to believe that you were/are a wonderful dad. I know we all have doubts--some of us have regrets about our parenting years. But in the end, if they tell you they love you, and can look back at their childhood and smile--you know you did some things right.<br /><br />And, you know, they still don't hand out owner's manuals with children ;-)<br /><br />Thanks for visiting...so glad to see you out and about. :-)Teresa Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940430996766842518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-69055504133183488092012-09-10T01:35:57.542-04:002012-09-10T01:35:57.542-04:00Wonderfully written tribute to your dad, Teresa. I...Wonderfully written tribute to your dad, Teresa. I must admit I'm envious. I didn't have a father growing up. He split from my mom when I was 8 and didn't have much to do with me after. These memories you bring to life, they strike me right at the heart. I hope that I was a good enough father, that someday, my kids will have as fond of memories of me as you have of your dad. <br /><br />Beautiful post. I wish him a Happy Birthday as well. I know that he is proud of the amazing writer his daughter has become. ;)M.L. Falconerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14118491465472334192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-34804945355115458872012-09-07T23:28:07.186-04:002012-09-07T23:28:07.186-04:00Wow, Denise, the similarities of their lives are u...Wow, Denise, the similarities of their lives are uncanny! I hope...whatever lies beyond this life is a sentient existence. And our dads are rewarded for their sacrifices. :-) Thanks so much for visiting and giving this a read. :-)<br />Teresa Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940430996766842518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-88079305374036764672012-09-07T10:22:58.440-04:002012-09-07T10:22:58.440-04:00Your Dad sounds like a wonderful man. And I can te...Your Dad sounds like a wonderful man. And I can tell from your words how much you love him. He sounds a lot like my Dad. Also second to last of eight children, raised in the depression on a farm, dropped out school to help on the farm after all his brothers went to fight in WWII. After reading your post, I saw a lot of the same character in your Dad that I saw in mine. I know you must miss him as much as I miss mine.Denise Moncriefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03452331743301566274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-34976441287763237792012-09-06T16:12:23.859-04:002012-09-06T16:12:23.859-04:00Thanks for visiting, Elizabeth! My mind often walk...Thanks for visiting, Elizabeth! My mind often walks back that old memory lane when I have time. Sometimes I wonder, when reading the work of other authors, who the characters must have been in their lives--to have inspired snippets of this and that in their fictional personalities. :-)Teresa Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940430996766842518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-45332833133086702722012-09-06T15:38:23.747-04:002012-09-06T15:38:23.747-04:00Thanks, Suzanne! I've been trying to write th...Thanks, Suzanne! I've been trying to write this for years... :-)Teresa Cypherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08940430996766842518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-89433836294174668592012-09-06T14:39:21.379-04:002012-09-06T14:39:21.379-04:00What a great tribute to your dad. And what a rich ...What a great tribute to your dad. And what a rich life he shared with you and your siblings, and that you've shared with us. I can picture the life so clearly. I also have distant relatives in Indiana who shared some of that life back then: small farms with wells, sitting on the porch with lemonade or ice tea in the evenings, watching fireflies. Your post brought that all back. Your dad also sounds like such a wonderful person with abundant resources inside that he passed on. Thanks for the share.Elizabeth Varadan, Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01708206753256682635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4696914224277711875.post-90741086667867354852012-09-06T02:50:20.095-04:002012-09-06T02:50:20.095-04:00What a lovely story and tribute to your dad.What a lovely story and tribute to your dad.Suzanne Furnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00908200156114453054noreply@blogger.com