my Christmas wish

i didn't always get along with my dad. looking back, there were many years where the two of us mixed like oil and water. dad is one of those guys who grew up on the farm and learned to not show emotions other than laughter. get his family together and there's always a lot of storytelling and laughter. but when it comes to serious emotions, they all get quiet. it's just how they were raised. it's in the genes.

add his genetic makeup to my need to be coddled and felt loved and the two of us just didn't see eye to eye.

dad used to bowl in leagues. he'd bowl monday and thursday nights, if i recall correctly. i remember watching him grabbing his bowling ball bag from the front closet and i'd say, "bowl a 300 tonight, dad" to which he'd reply with a snort and a "yeah, right." i would ask mom if we could go and watch him bowl but we never went. i would ask dad to take me bowling, but he didn't think it would be a good way to spend money since i'd most likely throw a lot of gutter balls. (this was in the 70's. gutter bumpers for kids weren't created yet.)

this year, i have just one thing on my wish list that only my dad can give me... i want to go bowling with him. not someday, but while he's here in town. that's my mission for today: to ask him to grant me this one wish. it's the best present he could possibly give me.