An old cowboy hat sits on top of our television set. It’s really nothing very remarkable. It was bought at J.C. Penny’s in Fairbanks, Alaska sometime in the early 1970s. It is brown, nondescript, and needs to be re-blocked. It really isn’t that impressive of a hat.

Though it isn’t impressive, it is very special. There are countless photographs of my father wearing that hat. In most he has a pipe sticking jauntily from his mouth. My Dad wore this hat for most of my youth. It is synonymous with him.

Dad passed away on August 4th, 2006. It has taken me a very long time to be able to write about that. Dad was a friend, a mentor, a confidant, and when needed, a disciplinarian. He needed to be a disciplinarian more often than not. I would not be the person I am today without the influence of my father.

So, I’ll keep his hat on top of my TV. It may be nothing special to look at, but it is something that constantly brings back very fond memories.

And that’s all that needs to be said.