Father’s Day 2026

Picnic cancelled due to sick kids

Photo by Steve DiMatteo on Unsplash

My husband is the charm. He is husband number three and has four children. Husband number two had one son. Husband number one and I had two children. This is for a total of seven children for me. And then there are thirty grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren.

I only planned to have two. I was done after giving birth to my first at eight pounds, fifteen ounces, and a second at ten pounds, six ounces. Wouldn’t you be done too? Thankfully, I have bonus children.

My children’s father died at age forty-six. He was a good dad. He did the very best he could while fighting an addiction to alcohol and drugs. His dad was a great grandfather and had the same condition. I was told he was a much better grandfather than a father.

Husband number one with our daughter

My second husband helped me raise our children. He relapsed into his addiction just prior to our baby leaving home, and we were divorced once all three of our children were out of the house. He was a great father for our children while they were growing up and a good husband to me.

My daughter, Joanna with cake on her face and hand from her husband Dave. Her stepdad is on the bench.

Now husband number three is the charm. He is the best dad and granddad. Our grandchildren all love him and ask me where he is when I stop to see them without their grandpa.

John (the charm) and Dave (Joanna’s husband) in foreground. Ex-husband in background with family friend.

Happy Father’s Day to all three husbands today. No regrets! I have great kids and great bonus children, grandchildren and great grandchildren too.

My dad died on my tenth birthday. It took me years to realize that is why it was so difficult for me to have a fun birthday. It didn’t occur to me until a work friend said, “Didn’t your dad die on your birthday?”

That made a huge difference for me as now I celebrate my birthday all month long. And when I turned 70 my three children took me to North Carolina for my birthday. I wasn’t sad even once. We had a great time.

Me and brother Chuck as the baby.

Last year for my birthday, my two children, and a granddaughter and I went to Texas, where my brother lives and we had a great time there. Even though it was just a few days before my birthday, it was fun and I was so glad to spend that time with my brother.

My brother has two children and five grandchildren and has lived in Texas since getting out of the service. Looks like I may have trimmed my bangs in the photo above. I have seen that happen so many times over the years with grandchildren.

My brother is working and going to radiation daily as he is fighting cancer. So far out of my six siblings three of us have had cancer, and our sister died from leukemia at age 53.

Every year Team Carrie has a Cancer Fundraiser in her memory. This year there was short notice, and I believe she would have approved of the program. She worked in Red Lake, and created a calendar along with recipes for the nursing home residents, when she worked there.

John and I with a granddaughter who was graduating.

We were to spend the day with John’s children and grandchildren today in the city. It is a 3-hour drive one way. We planned to drive down for a picnic and drive back. Last night we got a call that two families are sick, so the picnic is postponed,

Today has been a nice, relaxing day at home. I told John for Father’s Day I would take him to his favorite place and then I forgot and ate a late lunch, so we are going to put off the DQ trip for another day this week. He appears perfectly fine just sitting in front of the television with his feet up.

He will get gifts in the mail as he usually does. When I met him, he was telling everyone all he wanted was bullets for his guns. I guess we must have enough bullets as I haven’t seen bullets now in several years. at Christmas time he did get two tree limbers from two of his children.

The gifts are unique and he usually doesn’t have what they send. I got him cheese and carmel popcorn and I am paying for the DQ. After all, he isn’t my father, but he always recognizes Mother’s Day with a dinner, card and gift. So there you go. Enough about Fathers Day for another year.

Originally published at https://vocal.media.