Happy Father's Day and Happy Anniversary

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there and to the Mom's who also are Dad's raising children alone without the benefit of the other parent.
I want to comment on my own son, Dan, as a father.
It is such a joy to know him as a Dad with Keisha.
They are the perfect father/daughter team.
What makes it cute sometimes is as his mother I see him in her!
Not just in certain looks( she actually looks more like Jennie) but in mannerisms but especially temperment.
I won't ever forget living with them and when she realized my power as her Dad's mother the light bulb went off in her head.
Even today she will sometimes say, " Nana, YOUR son did this or that".
One of the things Dan does is to take special time with Keisha that is just for them.
He started date night with her when she was small.
He recently told me he is taking her in the mornings to a dance camp before he goes to work and has shared some of the things they talk about.
Neither of them realize the full impact that time together will have on her future.
I only remember a few times I had occasion to spend alone time with my Dad but they are seared in my memory.
He and I were the only ones in our large family that enjoyed black licorice.
Probably no more than 5 times in my growing up did he and I go to a candy store in downtown Cincinnati and he ordered a 1/4 of a pound of " licorice boats".
I don't remember why we would have been downtown together with no one else because my Dad hated to shop. It would have had to be for a different reason but that memory is gone.
The one that stays is the smell of the candy store and the taste and texture of those licorice boats.
And, my Dad was the one who would read or make up stories. another memory of " alone' time with him is funny.
I was given the job of scratching my Dad's scalp with a massager gizzmo he had that had a blue plastic brush attachment. he had a burr haircut back then and he had dandruff. i really got into this task!
I also wqas the one who was given the job of peeling his skin from sunburn.
That was pretty neat too; my goal was to see how big of pieces I could get without tearing it!
The other kids would sometimes do these jobs too but they were primarily my job.

Friday, the 17th was Dan and Jennie's 10th anniversary! What an accomplishment in today's times.
They are an inspiration to me. they have weathered many a storm and still landed on their feet.
I think the most special wedding I ever attended was theirs followed closely behind by sister's Mary's wedding.
ironically, those 2 marriages have lasted. I've attended glitzier weddings and more pomp but those 2 stand out in my memory.
I will always have in my memory the look on my son's face as he he saw his bride enter the church and walk towards him. No one else existed but those two at that moment.
I knew that they had something special that would see through the test of time.
I was proud that starting at that moment I was no longer the most important female in his life. It was as it should be; Jennie was #1. Now, I am # 3 as Keisha is #2 and I couldn't be happier.
I have the best daughter-in-law anyone could have. I think of her as a daughter.
She is as much my family as if I had given birth to her.
She is an exceptional woman.
They are one of the best families I know.