First of all, I would like to take the time to thank each and every one of you who wrote me a letter saying how touched you were about the column I wrote about my father. That was my favorite article, and I’m so glad that many of you enjoyed it as well.

This past weekend was very difficult for me; it was my father’s 55th birthday (June 13th) and Father’s Day (June 15th). Seeing as how I could not spend either holiday with my father, I decided that I would write him a letter, and what better place to print the letter than The Brooklyn Baron for two reasons; one, you all enjoyed my last column so much, and two, I know he will get it (after all, I did put Heaven on The Brooklyn Baron subscription list), so here it goes:

Dear Dad,

First, I want to say hi and tell you that I hope you are feeling okay. How is Heaven treating you? Good, I hope. Everything is good here. The Baron is doing great and I really enjoy it here. The family is fine and mom says hi.

Dad, I want to wish you a happy birthday and a happy Father’s day and let you know that there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. I miss you so much and it kills me that I can’t see you, or spend the day with you, or talk to you.

You know, I was looking over the family movies, you know, the ones that you shot of me when I was a baby, and there was one of you waving and talking to the camera. The movie had no voice and that made me very upset because you have been gone so long, I can’t remember what your voice sounded like. I don’t think you know what I would give just to hear you say, "I love you" just one more time.

I still have everything that you gave me, all the souvenirs that you bought me and all of the pictures that we took together, but the one thing that I have that I cherish more than anything else is the thirteen charm that my sister Laura made you. I will keep that for the rest of my life and when I have a child someday, I will give it to him or her to wear around their neck. I can only hope that I am as good of a father to them as you were to me.

I love you daddy,
Love always,
Paul