Dad-isms

My dad was a one-of-a-kind, original character in so many senses of the word.  He really marched to his own beat and was very secure.  He was flawed and suffered mental health problems but he did his very best to manage them and I miss him and think about him all the time.

This morning I was texting with my sister a bit and it's impossible not to share some dad stories or "what dad might say".  He was never shy to share his opinions which left us with an ever-lasting benefit, we never have to wonder what Dad thought....

We were chuckling about all the funny things he'd say but truth be told, he had fantastic insight and could get to the root of a problem pretty quickly.   I was laughing as I remembered one phone call with him when he was in Florida a few years ago... in his typical way he'd call "Little Mare (insert Boston accent), how you be!  (he would say these funny expressions.... i don't know where he picked them up or if he made them up... :)   I'm good dad, how are you?   "I'm great.  Just hanging out with my favorite person, myself!!!"    He said it as a joke but there was a lot of truth in there.  He was very sure of himself and could tolerate a low-key life.  He loved interviews on TV and was a voracious reader.   He had a sincere natural curiosity about people and the world around him. He always had yellow legal pads around the house.  His handwriting was so unusual and he attributed it to being left handed but forced to write right-handed by the nuns...   Anyways, this pad had pages of notes from a tv show he was watching with "Wow!" "Amazing!" scribbled in the margins.

Right now I'm grateful I inherited his memory.  I can recall the details of his voice and his energy with precision and I hope that never changes.   ...and I have to say when I call "Little Joe" from across the apartment, I know exactly who I sound like....