There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.
- Winston Churchill
This is one of my favorite photographs from my family gathering in San Francisco during the Memorial Day weekend. It's a picture of my dad and me, sitting in the window seat of my parents' hotel room, with jackets and bags strewn on the bed. The lighting washes out evidence of the time of day and I was unaware of it being taken, so it feels like a snapshot of a memory.
Just a short time ago, at least in my mind, my dad was the one who went out into the world and brought back information and experiences to teach and entertain his children. Now that we are grown and scattered across the country, and dad no longer ventures too far from home, we bring bits and pieces of our world back to him. Although our roles have been exchanged in that sense, he is the original. We, his children, are the variant years and models. Never is it more apparent, than when we are all together. Line us up and the brand speaks louder than any of the ....enhancements.
It is my wish, that the gleam in his eye is partly due to a reflection of his own image; that he sees a bit of himself in each of his four children and that we bring bits and pieces of his world back to him.
To Fred and all you dads out there, Happy Father's Day
(June 19, 2011)
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Note: I love the above photo for its "my daddy and me" commentary but truth be told, I was actually showing Fred a series of adult cartoons. :D Priceless!
