Snook, I can understand totally what you're saying. My Dad was sort of a Renaissance Man--devoted husband and father, respected authority, noted and respected politician (it's still possible, you just gotta be that guy), and generally an easy-to-get-along-with funny guy. We're talking about a judge whose death resulted in the State Capitol flags being flown at half-mast for a week, but the same guy could easily have a drink and a chat with someone he'd convicted previously, and they'd both have a blast.
I have the utmost respect for the man, as I can never duplicate his feats. I'm just not that good.
Do I write about him? Absolutely! Why? Because, even though the stories I've written thus far do not paint the portrait of him as an important or serious man, they do show that first and foremost, the Old Man was a character. A lot of my friends don't know that about him... he was a frickin' riot, not at all what you'd expect of a judge. I could easily write a book just about my Dad's life, and though some of those memories are precious to me and my siblings, I think it's more important that the world know that my father was one hell of a human being in all respects. If I do that with funny stories, well, people don't care that they never met the judge, but it will occur to them that they'd like to have met the man. To me, that's what counts.
For me to let the world know what a great man I (and many others) believe my father was, would be the greatest tribute I could ever pay him... be it his accomplishments or his antics. Both defined the man.
Here's the kicker: My Dad and I, for most of my life, really didn't get along. We argued about everything, and did so constantly. I was the whiz kid that was going to be the next Dr. Goddard or Einstein, and I was out tuning ThermoQuads rather than studying. For my part, I could never understand his total lack of interest in anything but his job. Despite that, I always knew I was loved despite his justifiable desire to whack me over the head with a bowling pin.
Later in life, I came to realize that all he wanted was the best for me and in his terms, that was the big house, big family, and high-dollar job... but as time went by, he saw that I was happy, and it turns out that was all he ever really wanted for me in the first place. Unfortunately, all this came near the end, but we got the chance to really understand each other before he was taken from us.
Sorry... total hijack. You can't share the man with the world any longer through physical means, but you can entertain and inform the world about what a fantastic human being he was through your writing.
I say do it. For him.
