I remember
The days
Both of you
Were born
How proud I was
How much hope I had
How I knew I would be
A great father to you two
Throughout the years
The struggles
The battles
We had good times
Reading books to you
Going to the park
Giving your memories
Of a father
That I never had
That was my greatest gift to you
To show you how a man should be
Camping
Hiking
Swimming
Biking
Vacations at the beach
Memories no longer out of reach
For me
You gave me more
The childhood I lost
You let me prove
I wasn’t broken
You gave me
The opportunity
To the be the father
I dreamed of having
Oh, to be sure
I stumbled
Fell down
Disappointed you too
I was hard
And tough
And sometimes
A *******
I had to
Prepare you for the world
But hopefully you’ll remember
How I was a gentleman
Respectful
Courteous
Kind
Thoughtful and brave
How much I involved myself
In your lives
Even when you hated me
Being there
I know
But if I hadn’t
You would have missed me
And now
The time grows close
Where I must leave
We’ll still have time
Time together
But you’re growing older
Getting ready to move on
Into the world
I hope the lessons
I’ve been repeating
Over and over again
Will one day sink in
Like I know they will
And you’ll remember
Your dear old dad
Was not as wrong
As you said he was
That you will grow into
Men
Men who know
How to treat
A lady
How to respect
Themselves
Nice clothes
And a clean shave
Mean nothing
Without manners
Work hard
Play nice
Have fun
Laugh a lot
Make good friends
And be one too
Wait until you find
The one who amazes you
And raise your children
Better than I did
I love you more
More than you’ll ever know
At least until you have kids
Then you’ll understand
I miss you already
Your father
March 21st 2016