Maybe it's Fathers Day

Maybe it's just me, maybe it's just my perspective, but it seems like certain events in my life start me thinking about the things Dad did right and wrong while bringing us up. When I was twenty, I did that a lot. At that age though, I was far more keenly aware of his faults than I seem to be now and nearly blind to the things he did spectacularly well. Now that I am approaching the age that was Dad's entire life span, I feel more qualified to evaluate his job performance and of course, sad that I can't share my opinions with him. Board games, the closeness of our ages, and the wonderful experiences of eating together at the dinner table are all big on the hit parade, but I'll save those for another day.
What got me started on this train of thought was the experience, on Tuesday, of putting some money into C.D. (Certificate of Deposit). As C.D.s go, this is a dinky one, but for that particular chunk of cash the interest is 5% instead of the savings account's 1%.

I can't remember saving ten cents throughout my entire childhood; We had the opportunity, we had allowance, but that was usually gone by noon the same day we got it. Dad offered us credit for large purchases (interest-free of course) which is how Roger got his drums if I remember correctly, but I wish he'd talked with me about saving money. I feel like that would have been a better lesson than buying on credit -even cheap credit.
I also wish Dad had involved me more in his car maintenance. He must have done the basics, like changing the oil at intervals, but I don't remember ever seeing it happen. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.
One of the lessons I did pay attention to was the value of making people laugh. Dad was sure good at that. I've worked to become good enough at that to know when what I have to say is funny, and when it isn't worth saying. I'm pretty confident in my ability to know the difference. He wasn't my only teacher in that subject, but he was my favorite. Cheesy Saturday afternoon movies on T.V. just aren't the same without him.