Happy day, to the important men in my life.
Grandpa.
Every old bike with a basket on the back will be my happy memory of Grandpa, long after he is gone and my hair has turned gray.
Those baskets collected cans for extra pennies, me, on our trips to the duck pond and park, and now they carry well water from miles away (please stop riding your bike 15 miles, you're 88 years old, Grandpa).
From him, I have learned my own love of bicycles. I have learned to find calm in my heart. An avid dumpster diver, he taught me to breathe life into the old and forgotten. And most importatly, Grandpa taught me to be a story teller. To close my eyes and draw my words from the memories in my heart.
Daddy.
Sometimes I worried that I would never find another man to hold such a big piece of my heart. My dad held my hand when we walked until I was a teenager, and still kisses me on top of my head every time he sees me.
From my Dad I learned a love of photography, adventure, and a world of patience. He is the most accepting, open-minded man I know, and always allowed me to spread my wings and fly to my own adventures....as long as I always knew the way to fly home.
Thank you for always holding my hand. In more ways than one.
Doug.
My Father-In-Law, who gave me the best advice I have ever heard about parenting. He told me that the best gift that I could ever give my children would be to love their Dad. Happiness from the heart of the family spread like sunshine to every part of the lives it touches.
Michael.
I couldn't have found a better opposite to ground me and balance out my differences to raise Elodie. I hope that somewhere down the line, she will grow up to realize that because we were the sun and moon, somehow our lives sang a moving tune in perfect harmony. Sometimes she will be me, hot, gold, and burning. And sometimes she will be him, cool, calm, and gray.
The morning that Elodie was born, he stayed by my side the entire 12 hours and pulled me back down to Earth when I thought I had surely left my own body. A constant anchor that never changes, but only sways in the wind. Happy first Father's Day.
