Every Father's Day, I'm Still the Best Present

Another Father's Day is here.

And I'm struggling to come up with a present fitting enough for my father.

The reason for the struggle: It's basically hard to top yourself.

See, way back in 1966, I was born on June 19, which just happened to fall on Father's Day.

I wasn't even supposed to arrive on Father's Day either. I think I came a few days or a week earlier than anticipated.

So almost 46 years later (my birthday is Tuesday), I'm the gift that keeps on giving. Gee, my lucky father.

Dear Old Dad lives around the corner from me in . He's an old rock 'n' roller (Maybe you read ; if not here it is again.)

We've spent the years not too far apart (save for my five years working in Massachusetts) and he's still giving fatherly advice. These days, it's more about health and finances than about going to college or not fighting with my sister.

He's enjoying retirement after working for the same company for 40 years. Who even does that these days?

You may have seen our Patch contest praising Dads. Trust me, as the father of a 9-year-old, we Dads can use the praise.

Sometimes we have to take a back seat to Moms, since they seem to be the ones our children will praise first. We fathers do the dirty work, toiling in the shadows. So Sunday is our day to shine.

My son recently wrote about how wonderful his mother is for a school project for Mother's Day. But I'm portrayed more like Darth Vader even though I'm the one who takes my son to sports events and plays Wii games with him.

"Luke, I'm your faaaathhheeeer!!!"

Yes, there is good in me. There's good in all Dads. We can't always be there for our children because sometimes we have to make certain sacrifices for those things called jobs or taking care of our families.

My father certainly did. He was working two jobs: in sales during the day and playing in bands at night while I was growing up in Delaware and New Jersey.

So here's to my father. And here's to your fathers.

I'm a Father's Day baby and proud of it. Dad got a great present. That's why I never have to bother trying to find that perfect gift. He already knows what it is -- it's me!