Father's Day

I know, I know. I haven't blogged in awhile and here is why. So much has happened since my last post that I just can't get around to finishing a post! I have tried numerous times to post but it just becomes too stressful since there is so much to say and the thought of uploading all the photos I want seems like an impossible task. The Hawks won the Stanley Cup, the city went wild, the parade and all of its madness occurred and we even found time in the midst of all of this to find a new place to live. Some time in the near future I will reattempt to share all of this excitement with you.

In the meantime, I shall reroute my attention to a really touching article I read in the RedEye:

Note from Kyra: Today's column is a tribute to my dad...and yours. Feel free to leave comments and I hope you and your family have a good time on Sunday.

I'll be left out on Father's Day this Sunday.

And not because my father isn't deserving of a super-sized celebration.

Before the fictional Heathcliff Huxtable, Hollywood juggernaut Will Smith and President Obama wielded any pop-culture clout, my father set the gold standard for fatherhood. But 15 years ago, W. Louis Kyles passed on--leaving behind me, my sister and my mom, a trio he collectively and lovingly referred to as "his girls."

There wasn't, and still isn't, a Hallmark card that could begin to describe a dad tough enough to scare away all the bad-news boys but loving enough to accompany his elementary school daughters on the annual Brownie Scout camping trip. He was not only a great father to me, he also served as a surrogate for any friend, and in one case, a boyfriend of mine.

In short, he was one of the best who ever did it. If he were here, you can bet I would be cooking his favorite meal, presenting him with a cool gadget (iPad maybe?) or replacing those old golf clubs he loved so much. Maybe we'd ride down Lake Shore Drive so I could show him my latest car, an aerodynamic automobile code-named the Silver Bullet, and a fitting heir to my first car--which he bought and dubbed the Grey Ghost.

No matter the itinerary, I couldn't imagine skipping or skimping on spending the day with my dad, if he were still alive. And that's why I hope sons and daughters everywhere will do for their fathers, or father figures, what I cannot do for mine.

Skip the tie and the last-minute Best Buy gift card. Don't wake up in a panic and drag him to Red Lobster. Stay out of the Olive Garden, no matter what those hokey commercials and Taylor Lautner say.

Plan something special. Treat dear old dad the way you treat your mom on Mother's Day--or at least the way you should treat your mom on Mother's Day. Ransack a recipe book and try to "Iron Chef" a good meal. Leave the Blackberry, iPhone or Droid on the dresser. If you have to go on Facebook, do so only long enough to switch your profile pic to a shot of you and him.

It's the least you can do.

If you have a great man like W. Louis Kyles in your life, it shouldn't be an issue to spend the entire day showing him how much you care. Then spend the other 364 making sure he never forgets.