Out for Our Sunday Walk

Our Dad :-)

Happy Father's Day to Those Fathers Out There :-)

My father is long gone, but I still miss the time we had together. Something I have never talked about was my dad. I cherish the few precious memories I had of him and I have let go of all the hurt he caused over the years - don't we all do things we later regret? Some things cannot be forgiven, but some mental illnesses you just learn to live with and work around. Yes, my dad was mentally ill. That is a difficult thing for me to say but it is true.

Being mentally ill in those early years of my life was a horrible thing - and seldom people got help for it. I have no idea when dad's mental problems started, but eventually his reality was that he never knew truths from untruths. I honestly think he meant well, but it always came back to hurt us. Eventually dad went his separate way and we struggled on until we were raised. Occasionally he came back into the picture, but we never were really close again. However, I had 11 years of having a loving father and I cherish that time even though it was often confusing.

How does a child have so much confusion from a parent and still love them? Dad never physically hurt me. He often promised things or said things that hurt, but he never laid an unloving hand on me. I love him for that. His mental illness got worse over the years and unfortunately, my siblings and step mom remember his most horrible days. I am the lucky one - I remember the good ones and just a few of the nasty times. Dad will always be a fond memory; I am glad God chose him to be my father. Just think, without him, I would not have the wonderful siblings I have :-)

Hug your dad if you are still lucky enough to have him. Without him, you would not be you... now isn't that a thought?

If you have a step-father give him a big hug for putting up with your mom :-)



Love ya, dad! (Photo courtesy of Liz's blog)

Steve and I went out for a walk today. I had told him I would love to walk aimlessly with no destination in mind. We set out walking from the condo and went around the outdoor stadium. We had never been all the way around it, and since it is in the process of being torn down, we expected it to be deserted. When we initially walked up, it appeared to indeed be deserted.




However, when we went to the far side, there were these little... hmm... umm... go carts (?) racing. That is a full sized man you see there!




Then I found a fountain of leaves...



Oh wait! It had a sunbird in it!


I found a butterfly... or was it the flower that caught my attention?




A submajeep:




A few guys having a relaxing day of play:




Rescue workers in training:




We found an awesome Banyan tree:




A cool old building:




And this little guy:




Who was REALLY little!




Every day is a journey to embrace.