A book so good I've bought it 20 times....

It started the very first time back in 1985 when I was driving along and Charles Kuralt started talking about this new book, I interrupted my trip and drove directly to the book store and bought it.

"Love, Dad" was written by Patrick Joseph Connolly, though he had no idea at the time he was writing a book, as he had died of a heart attack a year before it was published.

Patrick was a reporter and would leave for work before his two boys got up, so he took a minute every day before he left to write the them a note, sharing insights, wisdom, and a bit of humor.

After he passed his wife took some of those notes, exactly as they were written (and drawn) and put them in the book "Love, Dad".

So you are probably wondering why I've bought it so many times... I was (and continue to be) so touched by it that I have given it many times as a gift, other times I simply lent it to someone and they too were so moved by it that I could not bring myself to ask for it back.

It only takes an hour to read, but a lifetime to appreciate.

At the risk of sound corny, it gave me ideas on how to be a better father.

It's been out out print forever but you can still find it on eBay for under $5.

Here are a couple of my favorite notes from the book, click on them to view larger (making them easier to read).

It's been 27 years since I first bought "Love, Dad" and I often wonder how things turned out for Dave and Rich.