This is my dad, back when he was healthy and strong. Actually, it’s just a few years before the diabetes became stronger than he was. It didn’t take long. . . . .

I’ve posted several times about my dying father, blind, minus both legs, on kidney dialysis, etc. That was an accurate picture, but it wasn’t the only picture. It is also not the picture I have in my mind’s eye when I think of my father.

Today I wanted you all to see my father before he was struck down. My REAL father. He was tall, and he was strong, and he was hilarious, and he was handsome, and he liked new experiences. He sang. He cracked terrible jokes. He was smart. He tried hard, and he did the best he could with what he had. This is my brother’s motorcycle, but Dad liked to take it around town of a late afternoon.

So did I, in fact. Please don’t tell Mom.