Dad's Day

I can't think of the Fourth of July without thinking of my Dad. He was born on the 4th of July. If he were still with us, he would be 71 today. I always thought it was perfect that he was born on the 4th. Since he was my Dad and a policeman, I just always thought that it "fit" him. He, like Independence Day, was kind of serious and commanded respect, but had a fun side too. It was a holiday that he always seemed to really enjoy. He was not much of a holiday person, I don't think he liked getting together on Thanksgiving. He bought his Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and thought that most of the other holidays were made up by Hallmark. But he really liked the 4th. Being a "real man", he loved things that exploded and made tons of noise. I can remember all of the kids on our street coming down to our house to set off fireworks, because my Dad would always have something special. Like the year that he set off a smoke bomb that completely obscured the street for more than five minutes. Or when he would set off a big bundle of fire crackers. It was fantastic! On the Fourth of July, my Dad was always the coolest around. It was a day he brought out his fun side. So today, I am going to celebrate that fun side, happy birthday Dad!