A Solute to My Father | Gone but Never Forgotten

I'm trembling as I begin this post and my eyes are welling up with tears, and the tissue box is close by.

Dear Dad,
Today, on the one year anniversary of your passing, I solute you. You were far from a saint. We would always say you could murder the pope right in front of grandma, and she would insist, "no was-a my-a son!" You volunteered to be a soldier at seventeen forced to kiss your father's feet in the presence of a priest so that he would sign the enlistment papers. You survived two tours while your best friend came home with a back full of shrap metal. You stole cars and conquered the art of being a master mechanic. You were crazy handsome, but claim you didn't know it even if you spent an hour in the bathroom quaffing your pompadour each day. You were tough. Your motto was, "Do as I say not as I do." You hated playing by the book. Life was so much more interesting if you could work around the system. You made sure I knew never to start a fight, but if someone ever laid a finger on me, I had your permission to finish one. You valued family and made sure we showed respect to our elders at all times. You worked hard rarely coming home for dinner, but then again your day usually started pretty late! You liked drugs and alcohol. Even seven years of sobriety couldn't convince you to live the better life. Your sense of friendship ran deep. You were loyal and caring. Saturday morning cartoons were your favorite time to jump on the couch and tease us. You were a movie buff! That's why each year for your birthday, we honor you with one of your favorite films and meals. You lived life hard, got knocked down, and threw a lot of punches, but you out survived all of your closest friends. That was hard for you. You missed them dearly. You had the coolest cars like the '57 Chevy and a Challenger. Your mom drove you crazy, especially when she would scream your name from the top porch and call you Sally instead of Sal. You believed in God even if you didn't believe in His love for you. You told us right from wrong even if you didn't show us. You weren't the best husband even if you were madly in love, but you were a devoted dad. You spoiled us. You could relate to rap music just as well as disco and country. You instilled your kids with a good work ethic. You took us fishing and let me bait my own hook with sand worms. You taught me how to make it through the hard times. You were so goofy. You loved a good laugh. You had a love/hate relationship with being Sicilian. You loved your culture but you didn't like being picked on when you were growing up for being Eye-talian. You were the son of two immigrant parents who didn't speak English and saved every penny they earned instead of buying you clothes or letting you play sports. You were all of this and so much more. You were one in a million. You were a character through and through. We miss you very much. We love you. May peace be with your soul, and may we see each other again on the other side. xo