Excerpts (my interjections are in italics):
I didn't know then how lucky I was to know such security. I didn't know that my happiness was a result of two people who put their children's needs so far before their own that we didn't know they had needs.
(I can very easily say the same)
What a tremendous impediment we must have been to their comfort.
(Again, that's easy for me to say, too, in retrospect)
But I know it now. And I know how important my father was to my happiness and security. Unlike too many fathers today -- unlike the bumbling idiots portrayed on television -- the Big Guy was a man. He was demanding of us, but that is what we craved. He wasn't much good at telling us he loved us, but he was a master at showing us through repeated actions.
(My dad was a lot better than we kids were at telling us he loved us... and, in retrospect, I wish I had been better at it myself. So tell your dad today that you love him!)
Dads are very important, as are moms.
I'll tell you- although I've not been a dad myself, I know that being a dad (as well as being a mom) is the single most important job in the world! No way could I deny that!
Happy fathers day, Dad! We love you!