This is a blog not dedicated to my dad, but dedicated to all the men who have "raised" me, been a father figure to me, or helped me become who I am. THEY were my fathers, not the man I've lived with for the past twenty years who has insulted me instead of encourage me, been absent from my life instead of a part of it, hit me and threatened me instead of comfort me and provide positive reinforcement, and refused to care. I don't know some of these men, but that does not lessen their impact on my life.
Vern Miller, bassist for the '60s band The Remains (they toured with The Beatles and are huge in Europe more than they are here), has been a friend of our family since before I was born. He played in a band called The Roosters with my father until I was about five years old, when the band split due to in-fighting. They did not speak again until I was sixteen years old. Vern helped raise me as a child, and he helped me with my various problems since we began to talk again. If I could have chosen my dad, I would have chosen Vern.
Without John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr....I would not be alive today. They brought joy to my life at a time when I could not find any anywhere else. Especially John Lennon. In him I found a kindred spirit.
One of my first positive memories of my young childhood was watching a 1992 Presidential debate between Bush, Clinton, and Perot (though I don't remember Perot being there). My mother told me that Bush was the President. I thought that was so awesome. He instilled in me a passion for politics that to this day still burns and will burn forever.
Dr. Cannavale, my 12th grade English teacher, let me know that I could do anything I wanted if I set my mind to it. He saw so much potential in me that I had taught myself not to see. Throughout my ordeal with my ex-boyfriend that turned my life upside-down, he was there. He took time out of his schedule to talk with me.
Mr. Ryan, my 12th grade World Religions and Changing Times teacher, was kind of like the dad I wish my dad would always be. He was tough on me and expected a lot out of me because he knew I could do it. When I acted out in class (and I often did) or when I cut his class (and I often did), he held me accountable. He was protective of me and helpful to me. He was the teacher with the reputation of being an asshole who favoured the jocks, but he was so beyond that.
Vince McMahon has been a presence in my life since I was a young child and though his on-screen character is a selfish, hyper-sexual monster of a human being, off-screen he is a determined, hard-working, selfless patriot. It did not take me long to learn this and I have learned many lessons from him about how to be successful and how to succeed in my life even though I have struggled throughout my life.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the best President this country has ever seen. He changed the face of this country and changed the lives of its people through his New Deal programs (no matter how you feel about them now) and his decision to involve America and World War II, which saved the American economy and turned it right-side up again. He is a symbol of triumph over adversity for me...he struggled with a debilitating physical illness and triumphed over it...much as I struggle with what can be a debilitating mental illness and WILL triumph over it.
Happy Father's Day to these great men, my fathers.
Copy & paste to friend: (Click inside box; Ctrl + C to copy; Ctrl + V to paste)
|
|
read more blogs!
|