...little scraps of wisdom...

"I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. We are formed by the little scraps of wisdom." - Umberto Eco

Day Two of the Window's Father's Day celebration. I was thinking about

Chester Shafer

my own dad. We weren't close by any means, and I spent some time thinking my life would probably have been perfect if Jimmy Stewart had really been my father, but there were things. Number One was to always take my foot off the brake when driving across railroad tracks--he told me this the only time I ever remember him riding in the car with me. Number Two was that when his life came to an end, he waited until the day after my birthday to pass away. It has been 37 years, and I still choose to believe he did that because he cared. - Liz

Jessie Davenport and Family

I think my best memories of my dad is his singing to my mom and dancing with me. I remember as a little girl of him dancing with me at a father/daughter dance. teaching me how to do the twist and catching him practicing the twist behind the dry-cleaning machines in the Laundromat we owned. The last time I remember him dancing with me was after I was married at a club in Houston. He would sing to Mom but the one song i remember is his singing "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" to her. Have lots of great memories of my dad and of course some not so good, but he was always a special person in my life and I miss him everyday. – Nancy Davenport Massey 

Robert Sears

Robert Sears & Judy McKay

I found my dad when I was 47 but it was like we had never been apart. He always told me he loved me and always made me laugh. He always told me he would live to be a hundred since I found him. He died two and a half years ago at 87. His name was Robert Sears and he was one of the best men I ever knew. He was a hard-working man. He always had women flirting with him no matter his age and he would always say, “Honey, I don't want any young gal because I couldn't keep up with them anymore.” His favorite song was “As Good As I Once Was” and he would always grin and laugh when he heard it. Love and miss my dad very much. – Judy McKay

My dad had a running bet that lasted for decades. He challenged his coworkers to guess his middle name. His coworkers knew his middle initial was an “A.” They tried for years guessing the most outrageous names that started with an “A.” My dad didn’t have a middle name. My grandparents just gave him a middle initial of “A.” We fessed up to one of his former coworkers about Dad not having a middle name at his funeral. – Patty Lawrence Sanai

Willie Lowe, with Cathy, Linda, and Terri

My Dad has always been what I would consider very wise. When my sisters and I were young, and sometimes made huge mistakes, such as getting into a fender-bender, we were quick to come home and confess to our parents. His calm response was always, "Did you learn anything?" He guided us with kindness and understanding. Even to this day--he'll be 90 years old on Thursday--if you jokingly "tell on yourself," he'll ask, "So, did you learn anything?" Yes, Dad, I've learned that you loved us unconditionally and only wanted the best for your three daughters. – Cathy Lowe Clark

Kenneth Robert Hatfield

My Dad worked two jobs. He was gone when we got up in the morning and not home yet when we went to bed. Every Friday night he stopped at the local bar and had a couple of beers. He would then bring home pizza, hoagies or steak sandwiches for my two sisters and me. This was our time with Daddy. Just him and his three girls. Sometimes

Kenneth and Millie

my Mom would send us to bed, he would come in and wake us up. It was a Friday night tradition that all three of us looked forward to every week. My Dad passed on May 2, 2017. He had just turned 80. – Millie Swank