Father’s Day can be filled with tough emotions, but none more challenging than the first Father’s Day without your dad. Catherine Reitman’s father, Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, passed away in February of this year. Reitman wrote about her father in a touching tribute in Variety, and reflected on her first Father’s Day without him.
Reitman writes, “If I were able to be with him on this Father’s Day, I’d express my appreciation for him. I’d absorb every moment. Ask one million questions that I was too narcissistic to ask before. I’d dance with him. Laugh with him. Hug him until he said, “Enough already,” laughing, though clearly fed up. I wouldn’t criticize his crappy diet, or waste time nagging him to drink more water. He didn’t die of dehydration, after all. I’d order us Chinese food and a couple of Diet Cokes and spend the afternoon floating happily in his company.”
The Workin’ Moms creator continued, “The truest irony being that my father didn’t particularly care about this holiday. What he valued were moments of truth. Connection. This is best exemplified by his dinner party routine: He greets his guests, warm, but reserved. He wants to be moved. Hungry for the one person who can wow him with an anecdote of true authenticity.”
She finished the piece, writing “Dad, I love you. Thank you for not only giving me the ticket to life, but also showing me why it’s valuable. I will not avoid the truth of each moment. I will tap in. And in doing so, will be that much closer to you. Happy Father’s Day.”
The piece is worth reading in its entirety, and it’s a moving and loving tribute to her father. Hopefully it will be a balm for anyone else struggling with their first Father’s Day without their dad.
(via Variety, featured image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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