Good morning ladies and gentlemen. The normal “This Day In Hockey History” has been replaced by a post that is just simply from the heart. Here it goes…
One would think that six years would heal a lot of old wounds. Yes it actually does but it never really makes that little pain in the heart go away. Surely there are so many good memories when thinking about a departed loved one but have we ever really stopped to slow everything down enough to truly appreciate what they did for us?
That is the question I often ask this time of year. Everyday I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy what life has to offer. Am I rich? That answer is yes. I am rich in the sense that I know I had the best damn father I could ever ask for. I had a Dad that would take me to hockey games, hockey practices, and never complained. Hell he never complained even after working 15 hours and not sleeping for two nights. There were so many times that happened that I lost count.
My father was a sports junkie in the truest sense but his first love was always hockey. Something in him lit up and it was as obvious as can be. He did not make the most money in the world and no he was not the smartest man in the world but he was always a #1 Dad.
He always took one for the team. I do not know how many times he would sit there and play goalie with us so we had someone to shoot at because none of us were tall enough. There were all the Devils games he took me and my friends to when he did not have to. All those hockey practices and hockey games that he always seemed to find a way to make when you thought for sure there was no way he was going. He was a dad’s dad.
I will always love my father more than anything in this world. He taught me so many things about truly appreciating what matters and what to believe in. More importantly, he gave me the strength to go up against this world and make sure I would fight and never give in.
Tonight’s podcast is dedicated to my father, who would have been 70 today. I am sure he is thinking god does he ever take a Sunday off? Toss in the occasional expletive and you could probably finish that sentence. The apple really does not fall far from the tree. Reality dictates that it never did.
There are so many memories that would last a lifetime just trying to recount them. One thing always sticks out. No matter how bad or good things were, the one constant in my life was always my father. Yes he has been gone for six years and yet he still is that constant. Even in death, I take a little piece of him with me every single day.
Thank you Dad for giving this son everything you could give and then some. Granted, words cannot always do justice for feelings. However, Dad I love you and will always miss you. Thanks for every single memory. I would never dream of changing a thing.
And of course, “Happy Birthday Dad!”
Sincerely,
Chris Wassel
Director Of The Program
