My Dad

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Today would have been my daddy's 96 birthday. He has been gone for nearly 21 years and I still miss his presence in my life. I was so blessed to have my dad. He was a wonderful dad! Now when I say that I want others that may not have the best memories of their parents, my dad was not perfect. No parent is or was, but he was the best parent he could be and I think he did a very good job of raising us kids! Proudly my dad is a Veteran of Foreign Wars. I don't remember this but I guess when I was about 2 my daddy was in a very serious car accident. A man turned left in front of him and dad nearly died. He was in the hospital for weeks and had one leg shattered. YEARS later, he was still picking bone slivers out of his leg. I guess that I missed him terribly while in the hospital and those were the days when children were not allowed in the hospital (unless they were the patient!) Dad worked as a district sales rep for International Shoes and was gone most of the week. When Dad came home I was ALWAYS so happy to see him. He could get away with asking me "Who's my best girl?" "I am Daddy, I am!" (I was the only daughter) I would sit on his lap and comb his hair. He was so patient letting me part his hair and carefully comb over the mole in the middle of his head! I used to love it when dad gave me a bath because when he dried me off. When dad was home, I would always want daddy to lay down night night with me. As I grew older, dad remained my hero. He was a very friendly man and he loved kids. When my friends came over, he always had a song to sing to them (didn't matter that dad couldn't sing! lol) He eventually went into business for himself in 1962 and my friends always enjoyed having him wait on them. He taught me very good customer service skills. "The customer is always right even when they are wrong!" And I remembered that as I waited on people in the shoe store where I worked for him in high school and until I got married. Dad was a wonderful grandpa. He was adored by all his 9 grandchildren. My children all have wonderful memories of time with grandpa and grandma. He had a very warm heart although not all might have known that. He was so crushed when my fourth child was still born. And with my "special angel", Dad had such great patience and love for her. I know that he would have done anything in his power to change things for her if he could have. The love was mutual as she loved her grandpa tremendously also. One thing I really respected about my dad was that he always stood behind what my mom said. If mom told me NO, I could not expect to go to dad and have him give in to me. He loved my mom very much. My biggest disappointment? Back in the 50s when "Annie Oakley" was at a bank in Lincoln, Nebraska one Sunday afternoon, meeting her fans. I was one of her BIGGEST fans! Dad was taking me to see her. But when we got there, the parking lot was
full and the crowd was out the door. We did not go in as Dad felt it was tooo crowded. I was so disappointed!!! I wanted to see her so badly. I don't remember throwing a tantrum or a fuss, but I may have! lol I realize today that I wouldn't want to go in either. I don't like big crowds either! After getting married and after dad "retired", he often would come up during the day and visit with me and the babies. I loved that. I don't remember any other friend that had their dad drop in to see them. My dad could always tell the most interesting stories from his past. I wish that I had encouraged him to write them down or tell them to me and I write them down. My dad was named after his father, who he respected highly, but we didn't find that out until after he passed away!! I miss my dad!!! He is reunited with my mom, his parents and his granson now and peaceful. I love you, daddy!!! Oh, by the way, the last pic? On Memorial Day 1967, I brought home a pound puppy, Tammy, without my parents permission. SURPRISE!!! Dad told me the minute that dog peed in the house, it was going. No sooner said that .... OOPS!!! Dad loved that dog till the day he died about 12 years later! ***** I should have Paul Peterson's "My Dad" Playing in the background to this one! LOL... only us oldies would remember that song!! *****

This post is part of the Sincerely 'From Me to You Carnival. Check it out!