10 Things

This is a hard week for me. February 5th is the anniversary of my Dad's home going. I think of my Dad everyday, no matter what time of year it is. That's because I saw my Dad almost everyday and therefore almost everything reminds me of him. He taught me so much...gave me so much...more than I can name, but...

Here are just ten things that my Dad gave me.

1. The freedom to be myself. When I was in middle school and I had a whim to paint my bedroom with bold stripes that went all around the room and met in one corner with a circle of the colors in inverted order, he said "sure!" And he bought the paint.

2. The courage to sing. My Dad always enjoyed my singing, even in the beginning when I know I was hard to listen to. He gave me a lot of instruction...he was a talented singer from an early age and I think he was proud that he had passed that talent on to me. He gave to me the deep, rich tonality that I have been told is a characteristic of my voice. I love that.

3. Family loyalty and pride. That might not sound like a good thing but believe me it is. My Dad was the biggest fan of family...he was loyal to a fault and backed us up no matter what. He was there for me no matter what I may have been doing and he wanted to know about everything that was happening with me and everyone else in the family. If something mattered to us, it mattered to him. Nothing was placed above family...only God.

4. Faith in the Lord. Dad had a personal relationship with Jesus. He took us to church and Sunday school and during the week he lived the Christan life of integrity before the Lord and his family. He walked the talk. Really.

5. Class and Confidence. My Dad was a class act. Smart, handsome, kind, dignified. I never heard him use a swear word in 47 years of my life with him. He lost his cool sometimes, but he kept his dignity and gave us many reasons to respect him. He was confident in who he was and that made him able to love and accept others. People loved  him too.

6. My practical sense and mechanical inclination. Dad could fix anything. He could build a car engine in his younger days, and he loved to tinker with anything, When he died my sister in law cried and said..."who's gonna fix everything that breaks?" I can remember Dad teaching me the best way to rinse the soap off my car, how to strip old varnish and refinish furniture, how to paint a wall...so many things.

7. A love for old bottles and antiques. I can't count how many times we went yardsaling and he taught me how to tell what was old and how to tell what things were worth. He and Mom used to dig for bottles at old dump sites and I have many, many of the bottles they brought home. My house is filled with things that he bought or I bought when we were together at sales and antique shops.

8. My love for reading and my interest in the "Wild West" era. Dad was an avid reader and loved a good western. He and I often read the same books and loved discussing characters and plots. We both love the "Lonesome Dove" series and Larry McMurtry books.

9. My ability to drive in snow and handle myself on the road.  Back in the day, when it snowed, you drove in it. And no one had 4 wheel drive, just big heavy cars. Dad taught me to drive in snow. I am not afraid to go out when it snows...he always told me I was a good driver. So I think I am!

10. My interest in and ability to take photos.  My father never took me aside and gave me lessons on photography, but he took a lot of pictures. He always had the latest camera equipment and took a ton of slides. He had a good eye for light and composition and enjoyed taking pics until the last summer of his life. He used to hand me the camera and say, "I want to be in this one!" That last summer, I made a great effort to take a picture of him with each of his children and grandchildren. I was making one of those online photobooks for him for Christmas. As it turned out, I was glad I had done that. We lost him the following February. Those photos of him are very special to us.