… and know they love you.  Happy Father’s Day! 

Teach Your Children Well, for Children Learn What They Live – 

—excerpted from Dorothy Law Nolte’s Poem, Children Learn What They Live.

‘Gifts from my Father.’ My father has been gone for 42 years. I think of him and his quiet ways, often. He had a sharp mind and skilled hands that finished our basement, created a backyard ice skating rink, made a patio, and built major buildings. As a child, I would often follow my father around, watching him work in his wood shop, or in the yard, landscaping and gardening.

His favorite pastimes were fishing and golfing. My father taught me to ride a bike, drive a car, fish and ice skate. My favorite memories, family vacations, and fishing with him. A man of few words, he didn’t even have much to say much the time when I ‘hooked him’ while fishing in a boat. Always patiently untangling my line that I seemed to manage to horribly tangle, every time we fished. From my father, I learned patience.

I lost my father when I was just a teenager. Through his early and unexpected death, I learned that ‘life is short,’ and can change in a moment. I made a promise to myself then, to embrace life and live life to its fullest, grateful for every day. Through this experience, I learned gratitude, independence and resiliency.

As I became an adult, I would learn more of my father’s failings. From these, I learned forgiveness and understanding. I have wisteria blooming in my yard in Gloucester; clippings from the wisteria my father brought from my uncle’s house, some 50 years ago. He planted these alongside our patio, where my mother still lives. That wisteria still blooms beautifully, there and now also in Gloucester. Covering our pergola, adding color and fragrance to our garden; a shelter from the sun, and haven for the many backyard birds. We also planted lilac in our yard, as reminders of home. Fragrances evoking strong memories of both my parents, and my childhood. From both my parents, I learned much. Through them, I cultivated a love of nature, as solace, peace, beauty and joy, for which I am most grateful.

Heart Lilac. Photo © DreamtimeWellness™

~ Enjoy a Beautiful Father’s Day

Karen Pischke BSN, RN, Alumnus CCRN, Author, Speaker, Nurse Researcher, Photographer. Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC. Your Bridge to Health. Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit. Karen is a registered nurse with a background in critical care nursing, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac risk factor reduction, wellness and integrative healthcare. Incorporating a collaborative, integrative approach, Karen strives to educate and provide evidence-based services and self-care tools that are safe as well as effective at improving health, happiness and wellbeing. www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook