Your father sounds like an incredible as well as wise man and it is very clear that you hold a lot of love and respect for him. We are all foolish, careless and often times cruel when we are young, so don't be too hard on yourself. Part of being a parent is expecting that because it was done by you when you were a kid, your parents when they were - so on and so forth.
For any parent, the "end goal" is that our kids grow up, recall and begin to live the values we instilled in them when they were younger - the mistakes in between hold no relevance at the end of the day and wisdom also teaches a person that the falls are a part of the process. If we didn't fall - we would never learn how to get back up.
Your moments of emotional expression are also a symbolic version of that - the falling down and getting back up. It signifies the depth of your heart and love for somebody very special to you - and you no, you needn't EVER be embarrassed.
Your eulogy was beautiful. Thank you for sharing something as personal as that with all of us here. That in itself is sign of increasing strength @galenkp.
Beautiful photos as always.
Dad was a nice man and I think you would have gotten along well with him had you had the chance to ever meet him - He was...Spiritual and soulful I guess.
As a man who will be childless for his life I feel I'm not receiving my own payback. Self flagellation isn't my style either. Maybe the universe will punish me; I certainly deserve it.
Reading your words on this subject, the meaning of them, carries weight as I know, somewhat, how you are with your son. I'm afraid I'll never understand through lack of my own situation, but I suppose I sort of get it. I might not have a child, but I was one, and have a good memory for the good and bad I experienced.
Thank for your kind words on the eulogy...It's much more than that snippet I put on this post and maybe one day I'll share it all. I just spoke from the heart and in the only way I knew how.
Thank you for your comment as always. It is valued.