My Dad....a letter

Perhaps a year or two before my Dad passed I left him a letter (secretly) before I left from one of my visits. As I re-read this letter it seems a fitting tribute to the man as Father's Day approaches to post this. This letter is how I felt when I wrote it ans still to this day feel...and will carry with me forever.



Dear Dad,

I need to write this letter if for no other reason to let you know I love you. There are, however other reasons I wanted to state.

We, as a family, have kind of been atrophied when it comes to matters of the heart. It’s always been that way and it is what it is. I have become much better at expressing those things, at least in writing, Perhaps I have a ways to go in speaking those matters. I know you love me and you know I love you and that should be good enough right? Well what I’ve learned is quite to the contrary.

We’ve been through a lot over these years. I wasn’t always the model kid. I did a few good things here and there but I know I probably never attained my potential in music. You and Daisy did the best you could but my head was not on entirely straight at Potsdam; Water under the bridge now. I couldn’t be happier with my lovely wife and my wonderful daughter. They have meant so much to me and each other that I can’t begin to put it all in words. I think between Karen and Linda and myself, we did a pretty good job with Marlee and I’m proud of that.

There is another deeper reason Marlee did so well. Simply stated it was how her Dad was raised. I have to tell you all the while as I was growing up making you proud of me was my biggest goal. I played the trumpet not because it fell in my lap but because my Dad was a wonderfully gifted trumpeter who I so wanted to emulate. The older you got and the older I got the more I wanted to be like you and that goes on still today. I could not have achieved all I have without your guidance, love, support and a couple times financial help. I look around and see a term loosely used too often but in this case you are quite honestly my true hero.

So as I write this we still don’t know God’s plan for us. We don’t know his plan for you anymore than for me. Not that many years ago I started putting more emphasis on my religion so as to hope to understand at least what his plan may be. I am in steadfast hope of living the right way, the Christian way and ultimately to all have a big Bourey reunion in heaven.

So if you haven’t completely lost your mind after all of this the message is simple Dad. It is thank you. Thank you for all the lessons taught (and some even learned). Thank you for staying by my side through thick and thin. For being there when I needed you even though you were pulled many different ways when you were raising all of us.

I have many great memories involving you Dad. I hope to create a few more while I’m visiting this time. The one thing I will never need to create. The one thing that is as steadfast a truth as there is now or ever was: I love you. You are my only Dad and my one and only hero.

Love, Pete