Happy Father's Day

This post is in honor of my step-dad but I thought of him as my "real" father. He is no longer with me but he made a lasting impression. He & mom married in the early 60's when I was around 5 years old. My brother and, as is usually the case, were not happy about it because we thought that mom wouldn't love us anymore.......silly little kids. But that proved not to be the case. He was very excepting of us and treated us with the best of care. It is sad to know that that's not the case these days alot of the time. Anyway, daddy would take us fishing, play baseball in the yard with us and play all those crazy board games, too. He was at most of my basketball games and track & field events, too. He taught my brother and me to shoot a rifle (in Texas that's a big deal) and told us not to touch the rifle when he wasn't around........and you know, we never did. I remember that rifle stood behind the kitchen door of years with no accidents or anything. When dad and mom spoke, you tended to do what they said.....know what I mean!!!!! When I see and hear about so many "step" situations gone wild or astray or horrible, I feel so luck to have had a "step" dad that did all the right things and loved us very much. Sure there was discipline (spankings) and rules in their home but none of it warped me or my brother. In fact, I'm the better because of it. So to all the dads and step-dads out there who may be feeling neglected or under appreciated..........Salute and have a Happy Father's Day.