Gene Notes: The Men in My Life

Sunday, June 19, 2011

The Men in My Life

Mom & Dad 1996

There are two men who have been influential in my life. The first, chronologically at least, was my dad. My dad was a big guy, although just under six feet tall, but hefty of build. Yes, I have seen photos of him when he was in the Navy and when my parents were first married, but that is not how I remember him. He had deep reddish brown hair at one time too. What I remember was the heavier, grayer man.

Years ago, when I interviewed my dad, he told me he was a hellion when he was a kid. He was also a fighter. And he had a big voice. He could call you in for the evening and people two blocks away would say, "I hear your dad calling you!" But we kids knew he was really soft-hearted.

Dad adored my mom and loved us six kids a lot. Not that either of my parents said it to us constantly, but we knew by their strict discipline how much they cared. Shortly before he died, my dad told me how it used to make him cry when I was hospitalized when I was five and had to have a spinal tap. I never knew that. I just remembered how it made me cry. I miss him a lot.

The other man in my life, my DH. He is the best. In some respects, he is the polar opposite of my dad, but in fact, the way he cares for his family and the way he loves me is so reminiscent of how my dad felt about my mom. I think at first, it was hard for this only child I married to adapt to my large family. He actually has adapted quite well. He is such a warm caring person, and has a sense of humor that sometimes borders on the bizarre, which is one of the reasons I love him so much.