Happy Father's Day 2010!

Father's Day is upon us again, and like many other holidays it has crept up quite quickly. And like many other events, it marks another 'first' for me. This email's title is "Bittersweet". In a word, bittersweet expresses how proud I am to be a Dad but reflects how much I miss my own Father who passed away last September. All the "marquee" holidays have come and gone (Thanksgiving, Christmas) but we still face his birthday in August and I know my Mom will sadly mark what should have been their 52nd wedding anniversary this June 28th. I know how painful it would be for me if I didn't have Susie by my side each day; my heart saddens to think of how that feels.

I am lucky to have 'jumped into' such a wonderful family through marriage--Susie is a great Mom. Julia is 10 going on 35, Joey is an old soul at 17, soon to be 18 and entering his Senior year. Christi recently gave us a second grandson (and you can click on the link to the right to see some wedding shots of the whole family). After 3 years of marriage, I still find myself learning something new as I am not a father. To that you say, "huh?" I may be a Dad, but I don't call myself a Father as I never had kids of my own. Either way, it's odd how your mindset can change once you have kids. To those like my Dad who raised their children from birth, it must come easy to 'know what to do'--to be patient (well, most of the time!), kind and loving; not to judge, not to make fun of silly dreams and schemes. To know when to discipline and when to show restraint. The toughest one? To put others (your kids) in front of yourself--he always did that. He taught me how to be a good Dad; all I can do is hope that all the lessons rubbed off (though I still yell at Julia when I have to play 'find the phone' when all the cordless phones in the house are MIA : ) So to all you Dads and Fathers out there, HAPPY FATHERS' DAY and I miss you Frank W. Wagner, Jr!