Today my Dad would have turned 70. It's weird how I always remember his birthday, but can never recall the exact date he died. I used to worry that that meant something about me; some sort of sad carelessness of memory. But, now I think it's just that I spent so many years remembering his birthday, trying to think of things he'd like or just to call. And, besides, birthdays are so much better to remember than death days. Death days suck.
I thought I'd commemorate this day by posting my favorite picture of him. The picture was taken about a year before he died and I've always loved it. It looks like Dad. Bourbon in his hand, in the middle of a chuckle about something. Dad was a funny guy. A kind guy. A generous guy. I think you can see most of that in this picture. The scan quality is pretty shitty because the print is. After he died, I drank too much and ended up mauling the picture in some weird fit of grief. Perhaps I'll give this picture to one of my photog friends and ask them to clean it up.
Anyhoo, he was a wonderful man and a wonderful father and, like I've said again and again, while it's truly the suck that he's gone, weren't we lucky to have had him at all?
Happy birthday, Dad. I'll always remember it.
