Father's Day

  When we first married, I had no doubt that Jimmy would be a good father someday; he was the first boy and a middle child of six kids. There's a supervisory position if I ever saw one.

This was a good thing because I had my doubts about my mothering capabilities. I never planned on having children, much less marrying, so how fortunate was I to marry a guy who was so at ease with the most important job in the world.

We had Jim's memorial party here yesterday and what I heard most from friends and family was what fine young men we raised, but I have to make sure everyone who didn't know us as a family, knows what huge role Jimmy played in our son's lives.

 I have so many pictures of him doing the typical Daddy things, but what really mattered was how they saw him be and act and do things in the world when I wasn't there with a camera.

Jimmy made it possible for me to stay home and be a full time Mom for seven years and yet I could count on him to take over parenting if I needed a minute, even as he walked through the door, tired after a day's work. 

And when I did go back to work full time when Jake was only two, he had full charge and responsibility for the boys while I worked the second shift. We would high five and hug in the driveway and I would hand off the conn to him. They never had sitters because they had their Dad and I never had a moment's worry about them. He loved them with all of his heart and I know this weekend has been very bittersweet for them. For all of us.