This Thanksgiving, 2013, as I reflected back on the day spent with family at my aunt’s house, I thought about what stood out the most for me.  It was a 20-minute walk that I took with my father prior to dinner.

The weather was crisp and sunny, one of the best walking days we have had lately in the Pacific Northwest.  We walked by Bitter Lake and let the sun shine on our backs so much that I had to move because I was too hot.  The ducks were engaged in their rituals of preening themselves after diving for their dinner out on the lake.

This year has been a very exciting year for me.  Travel and the escalation of the business venture I started writing the Sammy the Centipede series on wellness topics for children were the main highlights.   My father got to hear all of the details on our walks.

He is not usually near as he travels a lot and so I found myself walking with him on the beaches of Kauai in the summer for two and a half weeks.  And then, not again until he returned to the mainland in October.  Now it is November and on Thanksgiving I was able to tell him of my goals and opportunities regarding the business.

My Dad is very wise.  He moved and shook in the financial world before he retired at 45, something that not many people get to do.  He still works on his own terms, watching his investments in the stock market.

He now gives me advice about finances and talks to me of his travels and adventures in learning the German language.  He has studied German since he was in his twenties when he met my mother while in the Air Force stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base.

The best thing about these walks is that I not only get information, I get affirmation.  Yes, that a woman is able to do incredible things if she puts her mind to it. That dreams are for doing and if you take steps in a logical manner, good things will happen.

Isn’t  that what fathers are for?  Encouragement to pursue your goals.  Consolation when things don’t work out quite the way you planned.  Advice for the next part of your journey.

Yes, the best thing about my father is that he continues to listen to me as we go for walks on sunny afternoons.

Please write and tell me your favorite stories about your fathers.  I would love to hear them.