fathers-day-cat

Whether your kids are human or furry, enjoy your special day!

Father’s Day can be bittersweet for those of us whose fathers are no longer with us. My dad passed away 16 years ago, but I still get a little sad each year when Father’s Day comes around.

One thing that was always a “problem” with Father’s Day once I moved to the US was that the holiday is celebrated on a different day in Germany. Germany’s “Vatertag” coincides with Ascension Day (Himmelfahrt), which is a national holiday, and it’s usually two or three weeks ahead of when we celebrate Father’s Day in the US. There were a few years when I simply forgot about this difference, and I always felt horrible when I realized I’d forgotten to call my dad on Vatertag. Thankfully, he never had a problem with getting to celebrate later than the rest of German fathers – if anything, I think maybe it made him feel a little special.

Ingrid King with her father
Dad and me, during our last visit together in 2003

I’ve been thinking a lot about my dad lately. He and my mom lived through so much hardship during World War II and the aftermath, and they came through it with such courage and grace, and built a wonderful life for themselves and for me. On days when I think I can’t stand this pandemic induced isolation and fear and worry for one more day, I think about how they lived through six years of war (my dad served on the Russian front until he was injured,) and several more years of rebuilding before things returned to normal. And somehow, sitting in my safe, comfortable home, with all the food I could ever want, and technology that allows me to connect with friends around the world, things don’t seem so bad compared to what he lived through.

If you still have your father, tell him that you love him today. If you are a father, enjoy your special day! And if your dad is no longer with you, I hope your day is filled with precious memories of your time together.

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9 Comments on Happy Father’s Day 2020

  1. HI JUST LOOKING FOR SOME THOUGHTS. FATHERS DAY WAS QUITE SAD FOR ME . I HAD TO PUT MY CAT ZORRO DOWN TODAY. ZORRO WAS ALMOST 16. DIAGNOSED WITH RENAL LYMPHOMA JAN 1ST. I TOOK ZORRO FOR CHEMO EVERY WEEK FOR FIVE MONTHS, GAVE ZORRO HIS FLUIDS AND AND PREDNIZONE EVERYDAY. ZORRO WENT FROM 11LBS DOWN TO 4LBS. HE STILL WAS ACTIVE BUT SLOWING DOWN. STILL EATING ALL HIS AND MY OTHER CATS FOOD. HE STILL PURRED , SAT ON MY LAP, AND CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF HIS EIGHT FOOT CAT TREE.THE LAST MONTH HE WOULD NOT SLEEP WITH ME CAUSE HE COULD NOT MAKE THE LITTER BOX TO PEE.. I PUT WEE WEE PADS ON THE COUCH WHERE HE LIKED TO LAY. AND ON THE COFFEE TABLE WHERE HE COULD ONLY MAKE IT TO GO PEE. NOW TODAY EVERY TIME HE MOVED HE WOULD PEE AS HE WALKED. I DECIDED IT WAS TIME AND THE VET TOOK ME IN. AFTER A LONG WAIT WHERE I SAID GOODBYE TO MY SWEET BOY AND BEST FRIEND THE VET TOOK HIM TO INSERT A CATHETHER. WHEN HE BROUGHT ZORRO BACK TO ME. HE GRABBED HOLD OF ME. AND WOULD NOT LET ME GO. LIKE HE WANTED TO GET OUT OF THERE AND WANTED TO LIVE. I HELD HIM AS MY VET PUT HIM TO SLEEP. THEN FOR A SECOND . I THOUGHT MAYBE NO NOT THE LAST INJECTION. BUT I LET THE VET DO IT. NOW I CAN NOT STOP THINKING IF I LET HIM GO TOO SOON. I HAVE HAD OTHER CATS THAT I DID WAIT TO LONG. AND I REGRET THAT ALSO. I KNOW HE IS IN A BETTER PLACE. BUT THIS REALLY IS BOTHERING ME.

    • I’m so sorry about Zorro, Dennis. Based on what you’re describing, it sounds to me like you made the right decision. I’m glad you were able to be with him at the end. The last thing Zorro knew was holding on to you while you were holding him. Perhaps it was his way of letting you know that it was okay and he was ready to go?

  2. So lovely words, and yes, the people we care about we should just tell them every day how much they mean to us. One day we will not have that chance to do it again.
    On May 2nd, it was 19 years since my Dad passed, and on occassion I still pick up the phone wanting to call him. Even my husband sometimes says, when seeing a pretty photo or reading a special poem, “your Dad should have liked that”.
    Father’s Day in Sweden is the second Sunday in November, so I guess there are many possibilities all over the world to celebrate.

  3. That was just lovely Ingrid! Thank you! My dad passed away in 1967 so a long time ago but I have will always miss him. He was the kindest, gentlest most honest person I have ever known with a terrific sense of humor and such a great dad to me. I so hope he and my mom and all my cats who are no longer with me are all together.

  4. Beautiful tribute to your Dad, Ingrid. Thank you for sharing your special memories. My Dad is in Heaven and I know his love is with me every day of my life.

  5. I love how my husband and sons love their kitties. I’ve always said that a man who can show love and compassion to animals and children is a real man. Happy Father’s Day to all.

  6. One of my favorite things in the world is seeing images and videos of pierced and tattooed so-called tough guys loving their feline babies.

  7. I liked hearing how your dad felt special celebrating Father’s Day later than the rest of the fathers in Germany did. It sounds like he was a wonderful man.

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