Congratulations, Dad!

As of today, my dad is officially RETIRED. Practically 60 [straight] years of working - WOW! Jobs have included such things as: paper boy, grocery store butcher, bus driver, teacher, Northern Michigan woodsman, minister, car factory lineman, and cost accountant - just to name a few. I have always thought of my dad as a very hard worker. When he left the employer he had worked for the longest, the flyers for his going-away party stated he'd missed 9 days in 28 years. Eat your heart out, Cal Ripken! Even here at the end he was working 12 hour shifts - sometimes 6 or 7 days a week! Makes me tired just thinking about it. While he comes from a family that doesn't necessarily understand (or maybe it is appreciate) the word retirement, I think my dad will be the first in the family to take it in for a while. (My grandpa worked misc. jobs until about 90, his two brothers that have retired before him have found other occupations to fill their time.) He is, after all, the first to have a retirement home. As I type this now, my parents are busily packing up their house here in Kansas. They will be headed back to Michigan this weekend. We will certainly miss having them close-by but wish them the best in their new lifestyle. Hopefully, my dad is on his way to some much deserved rest. Congratulations, Daddy!