Wow, I Completely Forgot About It.

I knew the day would come that I would forget my Dad's birthday. He died ten years ago so his birthday is no longer a calendar event leading to the purchase of a card or present, but I usually still think about him on his birthday and I acknowledge the date. But not this year. Or at least not consciously.

I was thinking about Dad yesterday as I searched through the old tool boxes I inherited from him, looking for a wrench to help a tow truck driver figure out something on my car. We were talking about how much simpler cars were decades ago and I had even told this guy about my Dad's ability to fix cars. Hours later something triggered the memory of his February birthday and that is when it occurred to me I had missed it.

However, I did not totally miss it. As I spent time with a dying friend in a hospital last weekend I mentally flashed back to my Dad's dying days and that lead to memories of earlier times with him when he was still able to communicate. What hit me as I began to write this post is that I was in the hospital ON HIS BIRTHDAY. So I guess I really was thinking about him on his birthday; I just didn't make the connection to that specific date.

I have several pictures of Dad but very few with both of us in the shot. The one with this post was taken at his Dad's fishing camp. I'm the kid (in case you didn't figure that out).