I am thankful for my father.
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My father passed away a year ago, and I still think about him every day. I am thankful for the life he gave me and how he showed me the value of working hard and following your passions.
Below are a few memories I have shared about him in the past.
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Happy Father's Day
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| Vanilla ice cream was the family favorite. |
When
I was little, my father was larger than life. He did the obvious of
working hard and providing for our needs, but it was the other things I
noticed. Youth is like that. Nothing could equal the thrill I got from
riding on his shoulders, or the feeling of flying when he pushed me in
the tree swing. I loved carrying his lunch pail and was proud when I
could stretch my legs to match his stride. When I got too big to ride
on his shoulders, he made things fun in other ways. He fixed the lights
at the local swimming pool so we could swim all summer for free. And he made
sure we always had ice cream.
Then there was the summer I
turned thirteen when I was at camp on a week long canoe trip. One night
we ended up camping unscheduled in a farmer's field because of a sudden
thunderstorm. We got permission from his sons to camp in their field,
but not from their father because he wasn't home. As we were pitching
our tents, the dad showed up and was quite upset about our trespassing.
After a bit of explanation and negotiation, he said we could stay the
night. However, it was obvious that he wasn't happy about it.
After things had calmed down a
bit, I mentioned that my family used to live in the area. He asked a
couple of questions and soon realized who my father was. His face lit up
because my father used to be his fishing buddy. He said that Red (my
father's nickname) was a fine man. The farmer said no more, but soon his
sons showed up. They carried our water, gathered our firewood, and did
anything else they could think of to help. So even though he wasn't
there, my father was still making things right. He turned what could
have been a tense, difficult night into a good one.
On this Father's Day, I want to thank my father for watching out
for me in many different ways, and for making sure that we always had
ice cream.
What a nice remembrance. I bet this is a tough day for you.
ReplyDeleteMy father is still alive and doing quite well despite dementia and multiple health problems. When I was a child, he worked 2 or 3 jobs to keep our family financially afloat. He has told me he regrets not spending more time with us kids, but I remember having foot races with him, having him teach me to ride my bike, and camping/road trips. He tried hard not to work on Sundays so he could attend church with us. Depending on what shift he worked, we would either eat breakfast or dinner together as a family. I think kids notice the effort a parent makes to take time for them, even if there isn't a lot of time to be had. My memories are happy ones in which he made an effort to be with us.
It sounds like when you Dad was able to be home, he was really there and involved. He sounds like a great parent. I hope that he keeps kicking along for many more years to come.
DeleteI thought about you and your father on Father's Day, knowing that it hadn't been very long since his passing. This is a lovely tribute to him here. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lili.
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