JanBeek

Gentle, kind, considerate

These words describe my dad

Unconditionally loving

Always made me glad.

Everyone should be blessed

With a father such as mine

His faults were few and far between

Except when time to dine.

He burnt the the chicken to a crisp,

But he loved to barbecue

Steaks or hotdogs, ribs and such

Were treats he’d cook for you.

His favorite place was in a car

Driving to The City or Yosemite,

But when we arrived, he’d hate to stop

Even when I’d beg, “I have to pee!”

I’d ask him for help with my math

But he would always say,

”Go ask your mom, I don’t know –

I missed the lesson in school that day!”

He rarely darkened a church’s door

Unless a wedding or funeral required.

He said he had to work on Sundays

Or else, “Surely, you know, I’d be fired!”

Hah, that’s hardly possible, dear Dad,

You own the business; you’re the boss.

But even though we pleaded hard,

He’d never go. So much our loss!

A more endearing, Christ-like man

You’d never hope to meet.

He never spoke an unkind word,

And every stranger he was first to greet.

An alter boy when he was young,

He learned his Catechism well.

Church or not, as an adult,

He sparkled an angelic spell.

My dad was more than I could ask.

He loved me through and through.

Dad, I wish every girl and boy

Could have a Daddy just like you!