When In Doubt....

A girl learns her most important life lessons from her father.
Dads are the wisest people around; they just know things.
In my family, Dad is the answer to every question, the comfort to every tear, and the source of all vital information necessary for the survival of this whirling spectacle we call life.
In my family, the answers that Dad gives to every question in order of importance are "1. Love and serve God with all that you are, 2. Do what you think is right- you can never be wrong if you do that, and 3. When in doubt, watch The Godfather."
These are the sort of core values that I want to teach to my own children someday- of course, with my own additions, which will probably sound something like this, "4. When in doubt and you can't get to a tv, listen to The Beatles." :)
So, here I am, blogging my thoughts away to a candlelit room as Michael and Kay arrive at Connie's wedding. The young Al Pacino looks so sharp in his military uniform.
............
"Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your home on the wedding day of your daughter. And may their first child be a masculine child."

There's nothing incredibly pressing on my mind at the moment, nothing huge or life-altering, just some thoughts that are muddled that I need to sort out. Some temporary advice that I need to hear.... And at the kind reminder of a dear family friend who is informed exclusively of all the family's secrets, I smiled humbly knowing I had forgotten the number three rule, and ran downstairs to grab the Godfather.
It's amazing how much you learn from this movie everytime you watch it. I've probably seen it half-a-dozen times, and here I sit, twenty minutes into it, and I've already learned something new. It's a beautiful thing.
Like I said, dads really know their stuff. I love my dad.
He's currently doing this Bible Study thing, and he blogs now. He's just one of those people that you only meet once in your life.
He makes you laugh so hard, that you become adjusted to various sorts of liquids spurting out of your nose. He's raised 3 daughters successfully and very unusually. I only have my dad to thank for my limited but surprising knowledge of La Cosa Nostra, or the fact that I know more about sheatrocking than I do about sewing. It's because of him that I'm so appreciative of good humor, and can sit back and enjoy watching baseball, basketball and golf on ESPN.
We have the same brain. Sometimes, that scares me rather than makes me proud, but, you know, you can't have everything. ;)
He's the greatest guy I know. Sometimes I think that when I move away, missing him will be the hardest part.
I don't usually think that living in Ireland will invoke much sadness in me, but the one thing I do know that will make me cry without fail is watching Father of the Bride, or the Godfather, or Braveheart, and listening to Johnny Mathis.... And I know I'll do those things often because I can't live my life without them. :)
I get my love of reading from him, too. I can't count the times that we've sat together in the living room, each lost in a book.
Speaking of books, I have completed my greatest accomplishment so far!
.....That's not true.
But, I am pretty proud of myself for finishing Anna Karenina.
I meant to blog about it the very day I finished, but life, as it almost always does, got in the way. :)
The last paragraph was rather hard to read because I didn't want it to end.
It was so sad! That book has been my companion for the past four months.... I didn't want to say goodbye! But at the same time, I'm overjoyed to be done with it. I'm now reading The Picture of Dorian Grey...and I'm liking the way Oscar Wilde writes.
...Well, I'm not tired yet. Amazingly. I'm off to finish the Godfather in the comfort of my warm bed and hopefully fall asleep to the sound of the good ole' Italian advice I need.
....And, also hopefully, I won't forget to blow out my candles.