Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day at La Maison Newton yesterday, and I felt a little embarrassed at how well I was treated. Typical for us, it was low key day with little fanfare, but what little fare we had was well fanned. (or was the fan well fared?) TLomL strained my waistband with a couple of special meals, and I got some decent quality time in with the kids. Particularly with Frodo, who finally talked me into teaching him how to play Risk. It took me three hours to finally wipe him off the board (there was at least one point where I feared he'd do the same to me), and turn him into an addict. And I have to mention the cake the boys picked out for me (pictured to the left)--visually great, and just the perfect level of lightness--I could've eaten three of those and not noticed.

The gifts from my kids were the best kind--those that showed their personality, as well as showing a good deal of thoughtfulness. For example, Arnold gave me a new watch--something I've needed for about 2 years--it looks just like Frodo's, only bigger (I think he's hoping I can get to be as cool as his idol). TLomL gave me The Traveling Wilburys' box set--a true sacrifice on her part, and one her ears probably regretted within a couple of hours (and not just because I can't help singing all the Dylan parts...she's just lucky I don't think I can do a George Harrison or Roy Orbison impression). It'll be worse for her when all four of the kids are singing "The End of the Line" by Friday...what we do for love, eh?

But really, as great a day as they gave me, yesterday was just the cap to a week where everyone doted on me. My wife was there for me every step of the way through the surgery and recovery. Everyone reacts a little differently to anesthesia--I apparently become an antagonistic jerk (a couple of you are wondering how anyone could tell), but she was there, with a lot more patience than I deserved. After that, she was loving and supportive through incredible discomfort and intense pain--from her expression it sometimes seemed she felt it more than I did. My kids all went above and beyond the call both in help and understanding.

I gave Samwise and Frodo a pretty good description of what happened to me, and what I was going through in recovery. Thursday, I had to do something that at least sounded quite unpleasant, and I was having a hard time getting in the right place mentally to give it a shot (not to mention physically). Both of them were right there with to encourage me. They fed me my own words in a heckuva 1-2 punch combination. Frodo kept telling me, "You know you have to do it." And Sam would follow up with, "If you do it now, you won't have to worry about it later." Not only were they inconveniently right, but they were sincere. In another five years or so, their words would be tinged with sarcasm and mockery, and I'd have felt justified in my desire to strangle them. In their earnestness, I knew such was an over-reaction.

I know the idea of the idea of the day is to make money for Hallmark and assorted companies honor fathers, but really, being dad to this group is honor enough.