Father's Day Retrospective

Happy Father's Day to all. If you are a father, then this is obvious. But if you are a wife, mother, sister, or any relation that is a part of the fairer sex, or if you are the child of a father, it is an opportunity to celebrate fathers and look back with them to enjoy fond memories.

My memory is one I keep with me daily - in the form of a fountain pen.

I remember as a child, watching my late father pay the bills. That was a time when the man of the house took care of the financial matters so that the "little lady" didn't have to worry her pretty little head. Let the record show that if I took care of the day to day finances in my home, I'd be a wreck (and so would the finances!) My wife does the "here and now" by taking care of current obligations and I "look to the future" by taking care of the investments. It's a great arrangement in these modern times.

My father was a carpenter and had scarred, tough, beat-up hands. I used to watch those hands create the most elegant and flowing signature when he signed the checks. A signature made possible with a simple Shaeffer fountain pen. A fountain pen that would be my future tie to the past.

Years later (and only a few before he passed away), I happened to ask him if he remembered that pen. He did and said he thought he knew where it was. We went down to the basement and rifled through is his old WWII Army footlocker.

There it was.

I told him of my memory, which took him by surprise - he remembered me hanging around when he paid the bills, but had no idea the impact it had on me. But realizing it then, he immediately made of gift of the pen to me.

That was the genesis of my pen collection.

In my 781 - School Board Farewell Message, I noted the 781 days left to retirement by sharing my final message I delivered at my last Board Meeting. How does this tied together? The gift I received from my fellow Board Members was a fountain pen. They've heard me talk about (and use) special pens for eight years and decided to put their money where my mouth was. I couldn't have been more pleased.

If you are father, congratulations and enjoy your day with family and friends.

If you have, know, remember, or just like to hang around fathers, celebrate the memories they make and tell them how much of an impact they have made on you. They may not know about your version of the fountain pen.

Do it while you can.

Dave