Story written by me while attending college. I think this was in the 90s when I was living at Moffett Field California after Andrew was born.
It is hard to describe my Dad without writing a novel. He has a led a complex life. Thinking about him makes me feel so somber yet feel so much love towards him. My dad has overcome obstacles that would break any normal person confidence.
y memories of my Dad when young bring on feelings of safety and happiness. He always spent time taking me hiking and teaching me to ski. He is a very tall man whose hair has gone from black to grey with time. I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t grey but childhood pictures show me that there was. He has a laugh that is well known in town. It is so loud and echoes. People know when he is in the vicinity.
My father was a minister, at the Federated Church in Placerville, California, before my birth until I was ten years old. Placerville is an old gold rush town full of history. The church is situated on a hill overlooking the town. It is an old wood building with a very warm feeling. I so admired and looked up to my Dad. He had a way of preaching that a small child could understand. He as new age in his preachings in that he would, at times, have a congregation participate.
During the middle years of my life, from ten to fourteen, my Dad was distant. He left the ministry to pursue a career as a lawyer. From this point on it seemed everything he did turned sour. It was as if God was punishing him. He was attending law school in a distant town so we only saw him on the weekends and that was rare. Once he passed the bar, he began practicing out of an office in our home. Divorces and civil suits were his forte until one day an estranged husband showed up at our house. My sister and I were home from school with the measles or some other childhood disease I can’t recall. He threatened us with a gun, upset that my Dad was representing his wife. This incident and a few others made my Dad realize that he did not have the stomach for this kind of law. He changed his field to suits, wills, and non-threatening cases. Unfortunately, his income level dropped as a result. My father has one major problem. The minister in him takes over at times. He won’t charge someone who really can’t afford it. The good samaritan is what he is known as.
My father has remained very active. He plays tennis, skis, and takes the grandchildren on long hikes which they love. About eight years ago he suffer a major heart attack that went unnoticed for a week. After my Dad had not played his normal game of tennis for a week straight, my mom called a doctor. My Dad is the type of man who does not miss his tennis. If he does, something is wrong. It took him six months to completely regain the use of his left side. During this time he remained very active. My mom likes to tell the story of a time he was standing on a ladder changing a light bulb. He leaned on his left side which gave out. She said she saw out of the corner of her eye Bruce (my Dad) flying through the air. Thank God he landed on a bolt of fabric.
My Dad also had business dealings that have gone bad. He purchased thirty acres just out side of town with the idea of building houses. He is a big dream man. Unfortunately, he did not take into account the fact that the neighbors would not want to have their quiet little neighborhood turned into a sub-division. Fifteen years later he is still fighting for the permits to build. He also built our family home at the top of a hill located on the property. This house has had nothing but problems. It leaks in the winter, is too expensive to keep heated, gets unbearably hot in the summer, and is falling apart little by little every year. I can remember helping my mom clean up one day and noticing that there was grass growing in the carpet. I asked is she wanted me to get the vacuum or the lawn mower.
Recently, tragedy struck again. He discovered during a regular check-up he had prostate cancer. It was detecting early enough. He is now going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He has had to put his tennis on hold for eight weeks, due to the fact he has a tube in his arm. It is attached to a bag that administers constant radiation which is carried in a fanny pack. He has a great sense of humor about it though.
I have not see my father since the third week in July. I am going to visit this weekend. Writing this has made me realize that my dad is a very important part of my life. He has always appeared to be in the background. I now realize he is leaving a great impression me as well as my children. I love you, Dad, with all my heart and soul. I thank you for all the love and underrstanding you have given me. You have always been there for me in the good and bad, even when you did not agree with what I was doing.
Thank you!
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