Inspirational Sunday - Happy Father's Day!

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
                                            By Victor Frankl

I subscribe to a daily inspirational quote and this was today's. At first it provoked a lot of deep thoughts and internal reflection. Then it came to me. This is so appropriate to be today's quote for me.

I 'walk to my own drummer' so to speak. Always have. Always will. Even the name of this blog is My View, My Opinion, My Blog. There was a reason I named it that. My thought processes have always been different.

I acknowledge that this is Father's Day. I honor the man who gave me birth. Do I call him Dad? Yes. But was he ever a father to me? No. I was physically and mentally abused by him. I learned to forgive him years ago but I never have forgotten. I have a hard time feeling "mushy" toward him. I will hug him. I will call him every week or so and I did call him for Father's Day although as usual we got into an argument because I disagreed with him on the definition of what the Affordable Care Act's definition of a wellness check means. Did I get through to him? No way. He has his own definitions and at almost 81 is right regardless of how wrong he is. But would I ever consider doing anything with him for Father's Day? No! As for my husband's father - he has very advanced dementia. We saw him last week. His other son was visiting today since he can't have many visitors at the same time.

Instead I honor my husband who was there for our kids. Who noticed what they did - both for their failures and their accomplishments and loved them anyway. We have 2 very different children. And now we have a grandchild. The husband of my daughter (my son-in-law) and thus my daughter and now my granddaughter are never with us for any holiday - they are with his parents. This works for my daughter and works for my husband and I. We celebrated doing what my husband loves today: getting the week's chores done because there is no other day to do them in with working 6 days a week. That is our choice. We don't go boating nor do we own a boat or a vacation home nor do we spend money on that type of thing. My daughter thinks we are boring. That is her choice to make.

Instead we all went to church together this morning then came home and I made breakfast, In the afternoon my husband and son and I chipped in and did the work together as a family: by mowing the grass, grocery shopping for the week, then my son grilled chicken on the grill and shucked the corn on the cob while I made mashed potatoes and cooked the corn. Dessert was brownies. Our son gave his dad a card. I gave my husband a homemade card. Right now we are doing laundry.

A very good day, being who we are, and being a family, without fuss or glory, yet we made it a special day for my husband.