A Happy Father's Day

I rarely post family photos, but will make an exception on this special 3rd Sunday in June. THE SAVVY SHOPPER is more of a writing than a picture blog. The content is primarily the written word over stills or video, but not today!

In honor of Father's Day, here are a few photographs of my father and me back-in-the-day.

When older and looking at this photo with Dad, I teased, "Look how you risked my life in standing me over an animal pit. I could have fallen into it. Dad replied, "I was looking around to see if anybody was watching before giving you a nudge." :) 

Here we are enjoying a sunny day.

However long we have our parents, it is never enough. We miss this amazing man everyday. No one can ever fill his shoes.

Here I am visiting home.

Hoping everyone has a #1 Dad and if not, you become the #1 Dad to your children. Happy Father's Day!

Inevitably, the cycles of life touch us all. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!" Listen to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas read his famous villanelle here, written for his own father.


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Happy Father's Day Sunday

Photo: Bigstock

Well, here we are ... another Father's Day to remember a man who is dearly missed!

A real family man, I recall his calm, steady presence. He made every situation better by being a part of it. Always had our backs, while giving us the freedom to figure out things for ourselves. He provided plenty of guidance and boundaries, but didn't sweat the small stuff.

Dad's favorite saying was, "Learn from other people's mistakes. Life is too short to make them all yourself."

Photo: Compassion

When I was a teenager still living at home, I passed a widow to see my sedulous Father petering around in the backyard ... fully engaged in figuring out creative ways of whipping into manicured shape the grass; our magnolia tree; and the tomato and green pepper plants he set out. Sometimes he planted cucumber, curled parsley (in a flower pot) and several rows of chives also.

Just a little garden: A small rectangle section of the yard was roped off with cotton string and long poles inserted into the ground to support the growing steams of the vegetables. Dad then cut pieces of aluminum foil, hanging them on the twine. The Sun's reflection on the sheets of foil was his trick in scaring hungry, forager birds away from his tomatoes and green peppers. He claimed it blinded them.🌞 Certainly, my Dad was in his element in our backyard.

My Father occupied a similar role in our family. He was a solid, knowing, protective force, making us feel safe just by being there.

The year he died, my Mom wanted to keep up the backyard,

even setting out some tomato plants in early May. Dad made it look so easy, and although Mom worked hard doing everything she saw him do, she just didn't have the knack. Weeds escaped her; she didn't know how to trim next to a sidewalk; and she produced no tomatoes. One day I entered the backyard on a visit home. I was struck by my Mom's defeated face as she turned around to quietly say, "Grass, I hate it." Her sad tone was a painful reminder to both of us: The gardener was gone forever.😢💙

We would carry on as the living must ... yet in a different form.

In a myriad of ways, my Father was the right man for our family. We miss so many things about him, treasuring our memories and evoking how he was the best Dad ever!

Photo: The Indian Express

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Happy Father's Day: A Story

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Thinking About Father's Day

About Dad (And Mom) On Father's Day

Father's Day ... With Daughters

On this day, I feel grateful for the involved, caring role my father always played in my life. 

As the daughter of such a father, I know first hand how nurturing, intuitive and family oriented men can be. 

My father was not perfect. He was a human being, but he was selfless, more often than not. 

He was flexible, kind, serious, humorous, consistent and absolutely the perfect father for me.

Psychologists say that fathers are important role models in the lives of not just sons, but their daughters, which is so true.

To the men who strive everyday to be good fathers, thank you! Without a doubt, you make the world a better place.

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A Father's Day Memory
Happy Father's Day ... Hmm
About Dad (And Mom) On Father's Day
Happy Father's Day: A Good Man Is Not Hard To Find