Fathers & Sons

This post is dedicated to the memory of my father-in-law.
This is the tribute Dear Hubby
read at his funeral:

My Dad

Through the years of my adolescence my Dad and I didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of things and we drifted apart. As I entered into my 20s we were becoming closer and we’d decided to go hunting together for a day. We drove to an area somewhere around Carson, Washington. It was late October or early November and the weather was cold and dreary. There was around 4 inches of snow on the ground. I hadn’t come very well prepared for the weather and I wore a cheap pair of uninsulated rubber boots. By the time we’d hiked a couple of hours my feet were freezing, to the point of being unbearable. My Dad, on the other hand, had on a pair of leather insulated boots that he’d just bought for around $40, which nowadays would equal in the $150 range. Because our feet were the same size, he offered to trade boots with me when he realized how miserable I had become. At first I declined but he insisted so we found a spot to sit down and we exchanged boots. He wore my cold boots the rest of the day until we got back to my van. When we got back to the van I asked him how much he’d paid for the boots and when he told me it was $40, I said, “Sold!”, gave him $40, and told him to go buy another pair. He was never able to find another pair of the same kind of boots!

He showed me a true example of fatherly love and concern that day, though I didn’t really understand its impact until I had children of my own. Now, in looking back, I realize his act of selfless love towards me. I would do the same for my son. The only problem is, I wear size 10 and he wears 13s!