Father's Day Stories

I guess you could say that I was a "daddy's girl.'  I was close to my Dad and could talk to him easily, and we could share stories of laughter and seriousness.  I was the youngest child of five, and a happy kid growing up, but since I was the youngest, that meant less time with him before he left this world.

It seemed that he took me along with him whenever he had something to do, whether it was on his hunting trips, across the street to water and tend to his garden, or just to the grocery store.

I went to the cemetery at a very young age.  My Dad took me along with him when he went to visit his parents, so I was familiar with the surroundings.  He taught me to be respectful of the grounds, and we used to have small talks there, but in a quiet and still manner.  Maybe that's why today I find cemeteries a peaceful place to visit.

I used to always make him and my Mom homemade gifts.....funky gifts like a pencil holder made with macaroni that he could put on his desk at work, cards made out of colored construction paper, glue, and yarn, and a tie card, with a message on the inside, "here's a tie for a real good guy."  I think my eight year old self liked poems even back then.  ; )

He disciplined me when I needed it, but he never let a single person come again me.  I remember one time I came home in tears after a relative said something negative to me.  I found out years later that he went over to their house and talked and straightened everything out.  

Then, came the frog.  I used to go visit him at his work place when I was in my teens.  His office was right next to the train, so I thought it was a cool place to visit.  He was the "boss," so he could take some time out to chat with me and show me around his work place and meet some of his co-workers.  I remember a frog sitting on his desk for many years, and I loved it.  I have that green frog today, and found a miniature frog through the years to keep him company.  I like to think of them as me and my Dad.

 

Just thinking of you, Dad, on Father's Day.

And sending love to all the Fathers in my family on their special day.

~Sheri