Father's Day - Home Movies

About twenty years ago I had come home from college to visit my parents and spend the weekend to celebrate Father's Day. Everyone was out of the condo when I arrived. As I put my things away I found an old small movie reel on top of my father's desk. Being a movie nut, I recognized it as an 8 mm film. Curious, I pulled out my Super 8 movie projector and tried to thread the film, but it wasn't working. I had to shift the setting to Regular 8 and the film threaded successfully. Regular 8 film was very old, so my curiosity was only increased.

Alone in that dark room I watched an old black and white movie with quick images of my father in a navy uniform, meaning this film was from the 1940s. Around him were numerous other people that I did not recognize. Knowing my parents didn't own a movie projector I knew that they could not have seen this film. I decided to work with my Mom to surprise my Dad and my family by showing the film that night at the party.

Just then I heard the door open. Assuming my father was playing golf I yelled "Mom, come here!" Into the room walked my father. Unable to come up with a good excuse as to what I was doing, I said, "Sit down... I found this and don't know what it is."

I turned out the light and my father and I watched the frenetic black and white moving images on the wall of his office. At once he was transported back to his youth. He was a teen when the film was taken. His voice regressed forty years when he spotted his dog. He spotted relatives, long since past, including his father... my grandfather that I had never met.

When the short movie was over I turned on the light and there were tears in his eyes. I asked him what was wrong. He looked at me and said "On Father's Day, it's nice to remember I have a father too." As we hugged I realized just how special this moment was between father and son, remember a father and son. I was grateful that my plans of presenting this movie with the entire family had been changed so that I could spend this moment with my father alone.

Happy Father's Day Dad. My love for you grows everyday.