I started this post way back in March of 2009. Dan had just lost his Dad, Ralph, to cancer and I had just spoken to my Dad for the first time ever on the phone. It was an amazing emotional time. Bittersweet to say the least:
Dear Dad:
Well, here we are at a turning point in our relationship.
The sound of your voice on the phone a few days ago was like a warm, soft blanket laid gently over my soul.
It continues to warm me as the days go on. I think about our next conversation, when it will come, what it will be like. The beautiful part is that I feel like I can make it happen whenever I feel the want or need to do so. You have opened the door for me, not just as a courtesy, but as a true invitation. If I were unsure of it, I would be calling you frequently. But I feel so certain that this is just the beginning, that there is no need to manufacture reasons or excuses. I just need to follow my heart and when the spirit moves me, you will be there.
And I, of course, am here whenever you next decide to reach out.
Since then, I have spoken to my Dad again. He called me as I sat in the beautiful house that Ralph and Betsy had renovated just prior to Ralph's passing. There is no coincidence, in my mind that Ralph has had a hand in bringing my Dad and I closer since his passing. He is pulling some strings, I'm sure of it.
And now, I actually call my Dad, Dad. It sounds so simple, but I have never called anyone Dad in my entire life. This Father's Day (one that was so very difficult for us because it was our first one without Ralph) in an email thanking me for something I sent to him, my Dad signed off as "Dad" and I've been beginning each email with "Dear Dad" ever since.
It will take some getting used to, but I love it!
And here is the song that plays in my head when I think of my Dad:
