Father's Day

Hats off to dads everywhere who give the very best they have to their children (and to their spouses too, of course).    

  

Yesterday - the Saturday before Father's Day - provided one reminder after the next of the important role that fathers play in their kid's lives. 

First, my husband left the house at 5:30 a.m. with his daughter to take a week-long vacation together.  Other than his waking me as he gathered his belongings - when I would've otherwise been fast asleep for another couple of hours - the timing was perfect, Father's Day weekend and all. This will undoubtedly be a very difficult time for both David and Lauren, as they mourn their beloved Matthew and third Musketeer.  As yesterday approached, David showed some concern that Lauren's youth mixed with her sense of adventure and overall vitality could be exhausting for him, but certainly they will return home with an even stronger bond than they had before the trip.

In the afternoon, I went to see my nephew Daniel perform in Shrek, a Wolf Performing  Arts production at St. Joseph's University, which brought tears to my eyes for not only the love story but also in watching Daniel's dedication as an actor and enjoying his look of gratification after the show.  Denis has raised Daniel on his own (with incredible help from Amy, Daniel's aunt) since he was born 13 years ago, when Denis' wife Lisa passed away.  I've seen my brother flourish into Super Dad overnight, becoming both a dad and mom interchangeably. This still mystifies me at times, recalling how silly a brother he was and now how silly (among other wonderful qualities) a daddy he can be when he's not wearing his Judge of the Court of Common Pleas hat.  I'm fairly certain that as much as Denis has been able to do for Daniel - giving his boy a life of fun, knowledge and heart - Daniel has given his dad more than Denis could ever have imagined. 

When I got home from Shrek, Allison, Amy and I went to see "Chef."  What a delightful movie.  John Favreau was Chef Carl Casper,  divorced from Inez (Sophia Vergara).  Together they had a 10 year-old son named Percy (Emjay Anthony).  The relationship that developed between Dad/Carl and Son/Percy with some coaching initially from Mom/Inez was not only touching but illustrated how critical it was for Dad to take the plunge from focusing on himself to his child and addressing his son's craving for a connection with him.  Dad was able to pass down his grit, humiliation and love for cooking, all of which would've been lost without his son to want to soak up these life lessons and perhaps pass down to his own kid.  Movie review aside, while the child here truly needed his dad, and maybe not the other way around, the relationship brought each other what no one else in the world could have.   

I can't vouch for Favreau, but I can state with 100% certainty that Minches and Cohen are fine men who became fine fathers by the very children whose lives they in large part shaped.