My Dad turned 72 on Sunday.  72!!  And he still works at least a 50 hour week, if not more. I know this shot is out of focus, but truly he barely stopped dancing and moving long enough for me to even take a shot.  Add to that the fact that there were four children waiting to blow out the candles made this the money shot.

Most people who meet or know my Dad cannot believe he is as old as he is.  Mostly because when they see him in his painters whites and realize that he is still working long after they have retired they are slightly jealous that he is so young at heart and having a great time.  No joke here at all, my Dad still whistles while he works and although it may take him a few more minutes to leave the comfort of his house in the morning, when he gets to a job and starts going it is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago when I worked with him during high school.  The main difference being that he now lets us go out and get coffee for break time instead of plugging in his old kettle.

When I stop and really look at my Dad, I cannot believe his hair is snow white.  I still see my Dad with his Dark hair and dark rimmed glasses.  I still see the man, that at 65, was body surfing the waves at the Beach.  I see the man that drops his paint brush any time one of his daughters calls and needs a hand.  I don’t know of any other father that would leave work in an instant to come and bring gas or give a boost at the side of a highway.  Or drive 15 hours to North Carolina to fix his daughters car, not one of my friends fathers ever did this, they just bought them CAA.

This past year was a trying and nervous one for us all.  Dad had a little trouble with his heart.  Fighting it and denying anything was wrong for months, Dad finally agreed to let them put a pacemaker in.  This small and quick procedure gave us back our Dad in so many ways.  The pacemaker gave Dad back his energy and gave us the greatest gift, more time with our wonderful father.

Dad, I Love You.