Happy Birthday to My Father 2022 edition
Posted By Kathleen David on November 14, 2022
Today is my father’s birthday.
To many he was the professor who taught them about physics or a myriad of other topics. At his heart, he is a teacher. He loves sharing things he finds interesting.
He is still one of my role models and teaches me new things.
He has a love of language and made sure that all his children left the house with a neutral accent and an extensive vocabulary. If we didn’t know what a word meant, we could go to him and get a definition.
This love of language included good shaggy dog stories and puns. Puns were like breathing in our house. Many a dinner dissolved into a pun off. Served me well when I was introduced to Milo O’Shea years later and we ended in a pun off theatrical version. The person who introduced us said, “I knew you were related.” Probably not, but we did have fun.
My love of puppets comes from things I watched as a kid. My father and I would get up on Saturday and watch cartoons together. One show I loved, and still do, was Kulka, Fran, and Ollie. There were a number of puppets in shows I loved like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Captain Kangaroo. Then Sesame Street came along and my mind was blown. We watched the Muppet Show as a family. It was one of the few must see TV shows that the whole family enjoyed.
My father made time of each of his children individually. I appreciate that. He would read to me. My love of Wind in the Willows came from sitting next to my father and listening to him read the books and give each character a voice. He read the Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring to me. When I started to become a voracious read, he gave me free reign to his science fiction and fantasy books. He introduced me to Heinlein and Asimov and Bradbury among many others. Peter and I read to Caroline and now she is a big reader too.
Photography is another passion of his that he passed down to me. He is an amazing photographer and taught me a lot about framing pictures along with other things that it takes to make a good photograph. I took photography in High School and was lucky that our neighbor was another camera nut with a dark room in his basement he let me use. My father would be my critical eye for my work which I still appreciate.
He is always there for his children and grandchildren. I know he has my back no matter what.
I know he loves me and I love him.
Happy Birthday Dad! Hope the day brings you lots of lovely memories.
Love,
Kathleen
Your eldest daughter
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