Memories of Dad: Part VI

Has is really been three months since my dad went Home? One fourth of a year has already passed without my father present. My heart aches to think of it. Thanksgiving has passed, and Christmas is quickly approaching. How will I get through it? How will we forge ahead without my dad's presence at the table? I simply don't know. If it's anything like the last few months, we will plod forward one little step at a time. And, as is often the case, time will swiftly move by us, unaware of our sorrow and questions and wondering.

My dad was a thinker, a dreamer, a jokester, an encourager, a servant, and so very much more. I am thankful that God answered my parents' prayers and gave them me to be their daughter. Not all my memories are fond ones, but the vast majority are. My father was a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic and a heart for others. He was a great example to many. He passed on knowledge to many. He debated Scripture and politics. He found ways to engage with his grandchildren. He prayed, prayed, prayed. He was not a lover of games, but he would play them as a way of connecting with his family and socializing with us. He wasn't a sore loser. He has passed on so many little quirky things to my children. I see them do something like sneak a piece of my candy out from underneath my nose secretly and walk off with it waiting to see when I'll realize that it's gone. All innocence. So like my father...maybe me too. A knock sounds on my bedroom door that sounds remarkably like "a shave and a haircut." My father's special knock of Sundays and Tuesdays when arriving at our house. A child has adopted the knock. Little quirky things will forever remind me of my dad. Bits of him left for us to see in others. A seed planted and growing so that he will never be completely gone from us.

We miss you, Dad! You have left your mark, and we are grateful!