I can identify with your situation Eagle Heart. My relationship with my Dad was "at a distance" throughout my childhood and teens....it wasn't until I was an adult that we became close. He had been raised by his grandparents as his parents both died VERY young and his grandparents weren't "outwardly emotional" people - they were very reserved and didn't hug or show affection. He loved them and felt their love but not in the "physical" way. That's how I was raised by him....and it was something I overcame in my own way as a teen and adult.

But LATE in his life, he became the best hugger around....and we really were quite inseparable. I enjoyed taking care of him and learning all the interesting things there were to know about his early life. He'd never felt comfortable sharing those things before his last years I guess.

It is that "later in life" Dad that I remember now. We were simply the very best of friends and as close as a Dad and daughter could be.....I cherish that.