[Superman]

I lost my dad several years ago. I was in my early forties. Our relationship had been a bit stiff (you know, fathers and sons........) but had gotten warmer in the last years and months. He was a good man. Had he lived longer, the relationship would have become much warmer. Closer. More like friends. We never quite got there, but it would have happened.

It's not easy being a man. No, that's not why I wear dresses. By "man," I mean the whole job. Just as a digression and an example, I was reminded recently of the day I picked my daughter up at the jail here in Seattle after driving from Tenino. She had been shopping with her boss and was nailed for shoplifting. Of course, she lost her job, etc. It was Rock Bottom time for her. I knew it and she knew it. Just outside the cop shop she turned to me and with big tears streaming down her face, she expressed her deep deep remorse. Now.....how do you handle that. You've got to show your love. Hug her, etc. But you can't be "mom" in that situation. You love this person more than you ever thought you could love anyone and you've got to show that and verify your complete support.....but you've also got to let the remorse do its work too. That tightrope is a thousand times tougher to walk than the ones the trapeze guys use.

Okay, anyway, it's not easy being a man. We can talk amongst ourselves, but imagine the kinship felt when you have your own dad to talk with. Flesh and blood. Experience.

I really miss that guy, and I appreciate everything I let him teach me. There are few things I would like more than to have a beer with that man today. Some day......