DEAR ABBY: In celebration of Father's Day, I would like to share with you a poem my daughter wrote as a tribute to her daddy years ago. It meant the world to him, and to honor his memory I offer it to you and your readers. -- MARION LENZEN, AURORA, ILL.
DEAR MARION: I am pleased you did. I'm sure it will strike a familar note with many readers.
MORE THAN PROMISES
By Eileen Votava
He couldn't buy the roses
I saw in the vendor's cart.
But he showed me how
To plant the seeds and cut the blooms.
And together we'd tend
The garden from his heart.
He couldn't show me the way
To slide downhill on my sled.
But the tales of horsedrawn
Sleighs from his youth filled my hours.
Richer was I than my friends,
As down the hill they sped.
He couldn't take me places
Filled with intrigue and mystique.
But he promised to take me
Fishing on the banks of a quiet stream.
No doubt we would go;
His promises he'd always keep.
He never promised dreams and schemes;
That life would be always fair.
But he pledged me his support;
Even when I made mistakes.
And when I needed him most,
He was always there.