Father's Day

The last few days have been tough.

The grief that I deal with on a daily basis was double-teamed this weekend. My father's birthday was yesterday. And today was the first Father's Day without him.

When I was still in college, Dad had started using AOL Instant Messenger as a cheap way to keep in touch with me from time to time. He wasn't much of a typist, so the conversations were generally short. AIM, not knowing that he passed away last October, felt the need to notify me that his birthday was June 16th. Thanks for that reminder AOL. Not once. Not twice. But three times was I sent an e-mail. "Grayson Peck's birthday is June 16!"

So how did I celebrate these monumental days? I ran away. That's what I do. The 'rents got divorced back in '01, I ran to Bluefield. Ironically, that's where I am this weekend too. A quick thank you to Mark for letting me crash for a few days.

I'm not saying that I would've spent his birthday or Father's Day any differently had I stayed in Roanoke. I was alone most of the day today, which gave me plenty of time to think. Sure, I cried a little, but hey, I miss him. That's not going away.

By escaping Roanoke, I was forced to be around people. Back in the hometown I would've probably just stayed in my bedroom and shut myself off. Here, I was able to hang out with one of my best friends--my brother from another mother--and get my mind away from things.

We watched the entire first season of How I Met Your Mother, a show which, BTW, Dad liked almost as much as I do. Not really a fitting tribute, but just a statemtent of fact.

So this was Father's Day. This day will probably be hard every year. And so will his birthday. Maybe it's good that it all hits in one weekend. And hey, in 2013 it'll all hit on the same day. Not really something I'm looking forward to, but it's out there. Happy Father's Day Dad.