Helping my dad rake the leaves in our front yard, circa 1979
Ever since I can remember I have always been a "Daddy's Girl", and I really have no shame in admitting it. My mom even tells me the story over and over again about how my dad told her he was hoping for a girl as his first born; I guess he got his wish. From that point on I believe we were pretty inseparable. I have fond memories of helping my dad in the yard with raking up leaves or sweeping up the grass after he mowed the lawn. I always wanted to be daddy's helper and mimic everything he did. I guess that's why I don't mind getting myself dirty every once in awhile with some hard work. He taught me how to check the oil on a car, how to mow the lawn and prune the flowers, and he even taught me his perfectionist ways of sanding and painting the walls. Don't get me wrong, as loving as my dad was and is, he was at times pretty rough on me and expected the best, but then again what parent doesn't expect the best of their child(ren).
Posing with my dad inside our house, circa 1980
To the man who shaped me into the woman that I am today I say "thank you"! Thank you for cleaning up all the boo-boos, reading me stories, teaching me how to ride my bike, encouraging me to never give up, showing me that there is more to life than we could ever hope for, singing with me and to me, even though you are tone deaf and can't hold a note, and most importantly loving me unconditionally and sacrificing so much to give my brother and I the life that we had growing up. I know you'll be an AWESOME grandpa to your soon to be grand-daughter and I know she'll love you as much as I do.
Dinner time, circa 1980
Love you Pops, more than words could ever express!
1 comment:
How very sweet.
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