A tribute to my Dad....

So, today is my Dad's last day at his job. He's retiring after 32 years with his company, and I had the pleasure of going to his reception today during my lunch hour. My dad has a group of friends that we've always called his band of merry men. If you asked my dad, they're just people that work for him, or work with him. For several years now, he's had the same group of guys working for him. He's been their boss, and he didn't think it went much beyond that. Both of them spoke today at his reception, and it was probably the fourth time in my life I've seen my dad shed a tear. We'll call the one guy Big E, as he's almost seven feet tall (my Dad stands at maybe 5'4" at best) spoke. Big E said that he'd worked with Dad, and for Dad for years, and said they always got along, he always thought they were supposed to work together. He said that Dad's retirement had made him think a lot about their relationship over the years. His exact words were "Today, I'm losing a long time co-worker. But, I'll always have a friend - and he is my best friend." It was touching, especially to see my dad tear up when he realized he had some great friends. I missed his other good friend, but I noticed he was crying a bit too when he spoke. Then of course my dad had to speak, and he didn't say much as usual. This time, it was because he was trying to hold back the tears. Well, to my Dad - I wish him the very best in his retirement years. I'm sure he'll be the best at whatever it is he does. Not only has he been a hero to all of these guys he's worked with over the years, he's been a hero to me as well.