Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood.
Today would have been my Dad’s 68th birthday. I cannot believe that it has been almost 3 years since he passed away. I vowed that his birthday would always be a special day. I know that he had a much bigger calling. In my Dad’s passing he inadvertently taught me many lessons much like when he was here. Those lessons I will pass on to my own children. My son only remembers his Papa through pictures. He calls him his Angel Papa. My daughter never got to meet him. Although I like to think that he kissed her when she was sent from heaven to be our tiny princess! I smile when I see him in them.
Here are some of the best memories I have of my Dad…in no particular order of course:
· Every Monday when I was in high school he put my lunch money and gas money on the counter in the bathroom.
· He read the paper every day.
· My Dad loved to grill. Every Saturday night we had steak…EVERY Saturday night.
· He loved his front porch swing.
· Sometimes my Dad could be really silly…not very often, but often enough to know that his hard exterior was not so hard.
· He hated to be late!
· I never remember him missing a day of work when I was young.
· My dad dyed his hair once to cover they gray and it turned black…then it turned orange when he tried to fix it… It was really funny! I don’t think he appreciated the humor of the situation until years later.
· I always knew how proud I made him even if he did not always say it. Some things you just know.
· He made sure I always had what I needed & much of what I wanted.
· He bought me an apple tree. When that one had to be cut down, he bought me another one.
· When my Dad said I could not have a cat…I asked Santa! Santa gave me a cat that year.
· Every birthday I received a card filled with money representing each year of my life. My last card held $29.
· The last time I spoke to my Dad we talked about my son, ate life-savers candy, and laughed because I told him I was sorry I could not smuggle a Snickers into the hospital.
OK, I could go on forever. Whatever life throws your way today be happy that you are alive to enjoy it. Learn a lesson from something and reflect on how it can make you a stronger individual. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Life is way too short!
Happy birthday Dad…I miss you! ~BB
Pisgah (Davidson River Area)
17 years ago
2 comments:
Elizabeth,
Your Dad was a really special person and I know he was especially proud of you. I'll never forget the joy on his face when you received your Master's Degree at USC. I like to think he is still watching over you and getting a real kick out of seeing your sweet children growing up.
Mom
Oh, B. Yes, we had steak, "Dick potatoes," asparagus, and a baguette EVERY Saturday night.
"Good times, good times."
I kept myself as busy as possible on his birthday. I went to class, and did my homework - and then some.
Daddy *WAS* and *IS* special. He loved us all so very much, but in the end, he just had to get out of this place. He knew there was a better life waiting for him beyond this mortal schtick.
I loved how you said he could be silly. So many do remember Daddy as very serious - which he was - but he truly had a weird, Monty Python-esque humor, kind of a dark humor. Mom and I were talking tonight about how he was laughing, saying what a pair they were when he went into the hospital the last time... Mom was pretty much bald from chemo and Daddy was in a wheelchair. ; ) He could always laugh at the harshest things in life.
Some of my best memories involve us sitting on the porch, watching a storm move in: he loved to watch the rain. Anytime it rains now, I sit on my front porch and am comforted by his presence. I know he watches over you and the rest of the Groovy Grubesters just as he watches over the Critser/Freemans. He truly is an Angel Papa now. And we are just so lucky that he was our Daddy.
Thanks for posting this. It brought back some very good memories. I love you, sis, more than words can ever convey.
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