Pen Pals & Father's Day

These days, most people don't bother writing letters. People prefer text messaging, twittering, and cell phone shout-outs. I, on the other hand, love to sit down and type out my thoughts. I enjoy picking up a pen and watching all of my thoughts pour onto paper. Even as a child, when teachers were telling me my writing had the quality of an English-As-A-Second-Language student, I still enjoyed writing letters to people. Unfortunate for the receipients of those letters, many ESL students wrote better than I!

For the past 15 years, I've been fortunate that Mr. Robert Stead has been willing to be a consistent person with whom to write letters. He's known me since childhood since I dated his eldest son for a number of years in high school/college. This obviously means that he is a man of incredible patience to still be a friend even after my teenage years! Simultaneously, he is someone I highly respect as a male role model in my life.

Getting a letter from Bob is more exciting than getting a standard delivery package from amazon. I know his letters will be full of wit, but unlike amazon, I have no idea what stories will be inside. In a recent letter, he reminded me that part of what makes childhood summers last forever is that we're not in the business of rehashing and interpreting every move around us. Instead, we're just taking the time to enjoy each and every moment. In the next breathe, he's reciting the old adage:

• "Is a pig's pussy pork?
• "Is the Pope Catholic?
• "Is a Frogs Ass Water Tight?"
• ...

All as a way to say "HELL YES!"

But more than just the letters I get from Bob, I highly respect him as a "father." In high school, I recall Bob toiling away, repairing ancient timepieces (he was a professional horologist who worked from home), writing in his notebook, or listening to the radio. More importantly, I remember the insistence that he and his wife placed on eating together at the dinner table. It didn't matter if dinner was a sandwich, steamed veggies and rice, or take-out... we all knew that when it was dinner time, we should be there to eat. To this day, as a 31-year-old woman, I feel confident that I can sit at that table with a cup of coffee and yap it up with Bob. And in characteristic fashion, he'll listen to all of my yammering and somehow remind me that the answer to my question is within me. How awesome is that.

So, through the magic of technology... before I pick up my pen for my long-winded reply on my next adventure... I'd like to publicly send a Happy Father's Day to Bob! Thanks for everything.