60 years

a family is complex and ever evolving, perhaps even more so when you have multiple siblings. it often means more drama, but in our case, in addition to more drama (we have plenty of that), it has also meant more love, more adventures, more fun.

today is my dad's 60th birthday. on my own birthday i always think about it as a time to evaluate my life, and to think about the year that has passed as well as the year that stretches, unknown, ahead of me. i often set some time aside to write down a list (the list is long as the years i am old- which gets harder and harder as i age) of goals and hopes for the year. as in any family, there are parts of my relationship with my dad, (and on his part, his relationship with me!) that i wish were different. we have definitely had to work through some hard things together, and will likely continue to in the future. in many ways, i am a lot like my dad, with parts of my mom thrown in, so often i see myself in him. and the parts of our relationship that are frustrating are often connected to those similar traits.

there are some characteristics he has which i hope increase in me by the time i am sixty. my dad is an unfailing optimist; he is incredibly loyal (and is finally getting some rewards for his loyalty to philadelphia sports teams); he is the most gracious person i think i know; he does not hold grudges; he is quick to complement; he is a dreamer; he has big hopes; he believes in people when maybe no one else believes in them; he has great enthusiasm; he is patient; he is a great storyteller. 

happy birthday dad.