's Father's Day 2008 motd

[Guest guest]

WHAT A DRESSER!

Sunday, 15 June 2008

As I do on every special day of the year, I take out the scrapbooks my brother has given me over the years. Those scrapbooks are really the favorite Christmas presents I receive from Lenny. He picks out family photos from when we were younger. Often, I had not seen many of them before. I sit there with tears in my eyes as I flip through those pages of memories from my younger years.

One of the things I notice most about those old family snapshots is that my father, Leonard, was really one very unbelievable dresser. Today, looking back, I can now see that my father was just a regular clothes horse! I've told you in the past that Leonard could do just about anything and he could do them all better than good, too My dad was a real renaissance manHe could paint. He could build furniture. He was an electrician and could hang a chandelier in just a few minutes. He was a fantastic cook and a fabulous singer. And there's one other thing Leonard could do and that was he could really sew!My dad would look through a magazine and admire the suit a movie star was wearing. He would then go to a local department store, buy a similar pattern, return home and actually make the suit for himself!He made herringbone double-breasted sports coats. He made tuxedos for himself and make his own classic-styled suits.

I remember how he once made a charcoal-gray suit with a matching vest. Everywhere he went, people would say, "Leonard, you look so handsome today!" He often wore color combinations that no one else wore and he always looked great in them. Like a hunters-green blazer with mustard-colored slacks made of flannel, for instance. Oh! He would look so good!Our family went out to eat several times a week and my father always looked so elegant, you'd think he owned the restaurant. To complete his dapper look, he always had a white handkerchief placed ever-so-smartly in his jacket pocket. And his shirts were ironed and starched to perfection.My father could tie a tie in five different knots, the Windsor knot being his favorite. And his shoes were always immaculately shined.

I used to be so proud of him as we walked down the street together. He was not a very touchy man but sometimes when I walked down Canal Street with him, I'd put my little hand in his and he would grab it ever-so-tightly. That's how I knew how much he loved me. If my father could come down from Heaven and have dinner with me this evening, he wouldn't be wearing wings and a halo. He'd descend down Heaven's stairway sporting a black velvet sport coat, a gray shirt and cashmere gray slacks. And in his jacket pocket, there'd be that perfectly folded white handkerchief. And I'd put my hand in his and he would squeeze it, so-o-o tightly. Please wish your dad a Happy Father's Day. And if, like my dad, he's already in Heaven, I know they are celebrating their special day together.Love,