He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”  ~Clarence Budington Kelland

Over the years I’ve been blessed to know many first-rate dads. My own was simply the best — and one of the kindest human beings ever. As if that weren’t enough, my paternal grandfather (whose garden I shared in “Grandpa’s Ferns”) loved me fiercely and was my role model of courage and durability. And best of all, I married a man who’s been a terrific father to my son.

In this Sunday’s essay on Royal Oak Patch, I share bittersweet memories of the funerals of two fathers — my own father and the father of my longtime friend, John Schultz. Please click here to read it.

If you’re lucky enough to have your dad around this Father’s Day, be sure to celebrate him. — CL