Father's Day

When one is 69 years old, it is unusual to be able to celebrate Father’s Day with one’s own father. As readers know, my father is 96, and still intellectually sharp, though he tires more easily. Like many in his assisted living facility, he has purchased an electric cart to travel long distances. This means that getting about is easier, but also that he gets less exercise – a dilemma of prosthetics and the aging process.

Anyhow, we had the sort of father’s day dinner one hopes for when planning such celebrations. My two sisters and younger sister’s husband and older sister’s nephew gathered with us at father’s apartment. We drove together to an elegant restaurant nearby, sat outdoors and had a delicious lunch. Conversation reminded me of the best of our family dinners when I was growing up - funny and fun. No serious topics were discussed. No family skeletons emerged from the closet. Our father joined in occasionally, but mostly sat quietly with his thoughts and memories. Then we all drove off to our respective homes and quite different lives, hours and miles apart.

A good time was had by all.