Photo by gratefulsue
Daddy
Daddy taught me how to sail—
Our boat went through both calm and gale.
Daddy helped me love to dance—
Ballroom dancing lessons financed.
Sent me to an all-girls’ school—
Where brains and work were the only rules.
Gave me goals and life ambitions—
“Make Daddy proud,” my personal mission.
“The sky’s the limit” was my fate—
I recently learned he exaggerates.
I’ve sailed through storms of trials and more—
Disappointments, being poor.
I’ve danced through years of being rich—
A job I loved, finding my niche.
Brains and hard work raised my kids—
A task at least as hard as his.
I’m grateful for my encouraging Dad—
Ne’er enough time with him, I had.
© 2015 gratefulsue
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My father (pictured) learned to sail and canoe at a boys’ camp as a youth. He later taught sailing and canoeing at that same camp. He told me one of the perks of knowing how to sail and canoe was that he could sail or paddle across the small lake to visit the girls’ camp!
Years later, after my parents’ divorce, Dad bought the sailboat pictured above, and brought my sisters and me sailing on the weekends. He taught us how to sail and the parts of the boat while we chatted about life. I loved sailing and was his devoted pupil. The above picture is of Dad on our sailboat, named “Camelot.” We had been out on Lake Erie for the day and were headed back to the dock under power when I took this photo.
Even though my father had flaws, he always stayed involved in the lives of his three daughters as much as he could. Since he was a better communicator than my mother, I owe much gratitude to him for his heart-to-heart talks, wise counsel, generosity, and quality time out on the lake.