Dad

My dad is one of the most fascinating people I know. I love to look at him. When I look at him, first I notice his physical characteristics. If I look long enough, however, I can see some of the things that have happened during his 72 years of life.
My dad has been almost bald ever since I can remember. When I look at him carefully, I see that the top of his head is smooth and shiny. The little bit of sliver hair that circles the bald spot on the top will soon be gone. When I was little, he once told me that his brain made his head so big that I realize how smart he is, I wonder whether it might be true.
I really like looking at my dad’s face. One side of his face droops a little because of a small accident he had many years ago. When he smiles now, only half of his mouth turns up, as if he is trying to keep the smiles from showing. Behind his smile, his teeth are strong, white and perfectly straight. His bright blue eyes, surrounded wrinkles of experience, seem to smile more than his tired mouth. They reflect a bright mind that is always busy in thought.
My mother has always been smaller than most men, but he seemed big to me as I grew up. Now his thin body is not quite as tall or as straight as it once was. When he stands, his shoulders droop forward as if they are too tired to hold his head and its heavy thoughts. When he sits, his head and wrinkled neck come out of his shirt collar like the head of an old turtle coming out of its shell.
Though his body shows his age, his hands still appear strong and youthful. Thick, short fingers make each hard-working hand look square. The skin on his hands is rough, with dark blue veins running through the back of them. It is with these hands, along with his bright mind, that he continues his work. Each day he still spends many hours using his hands to draw pictures of machines that will eventually save his company hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
After watching my dad for some time, I forget to look at his hands or face or body. Soon I begin to see what I will always remember about him. I see his care, his determination, even his frustration. I se a man who has survived service in world war II, who has supported a wife and ten children, and who is still finding more to live for each day.