What My Father Left Behind

Insight from his personal effects.

Philip Ballantyne. Author’s Collection.

I like to tell people that I was a hippie love child, even if it’s not completely true. According to my mother, my father didn’t identify as a hippie even though he looked the part and embodied a lot of what hippies stood for, including peace and taking care of the earth. My mother was a straight-laced Catholic girl, definitely not a hippie. Still, I am a love child and besides, it’s fun to say.