Bygones

My friend Robin posted a similar picture on her blog, and it inspired me to do the same; it was fun going through the old family photos and putting this together. 

I have, as I mentioned a few days ago, father issues, stemming from the time of his death, but that was also several years ago.  What's great today is that it feels good to be able to put his photo here -- and I know he would have enjoyed this blog.

We've been watching reruns of Ally McBeal here lately ( I didn't have a television during the years she was broadcasting) and they have a way of saying outrageous things to each other and then saying "Bygones" as an invitation to not carry anger or irritation into the rest of the day. 

It's amusing,but I think it's also useful as an indicator of a working relationship, as if to say there will be surface irritations and disagreements but the relationship will endure.  And, well, you know what they say: the most challenging word in the Lord's Prayer is "as" (as in, forgive us our sins/debts/trespasses AS we forgive those who sin against us).  Although, speaking of that prayer, the hardest words for me over the last few years have been the opening two: "Our Father."  I mostly haven't been saying them...

So to put this here is a good thing; a sign of forgiveness.  I haven't forgotten, but I think I'm finally over it.  And I think the real pleasure of putting my father's picture here today (though I find it interesting to note that I used a newspaper clipping rather than a formal photo) is that I'm learning to say "bygones" to my Dad. 

Yeah, he screwed up.  But he also loved me -- as best he could.  And I loved him, too: he meant a lot to me, growing up.  And he was basically a good man.  So -- yeah, Dad.

Bygones.