Remembering Dad

 My dad passed away on 2/24/16 and my heart still hurts. To say I was blessed with a wonderful dad would be an understatement, and it would take at least a year of blog posts to convey my love for him adequately.  With that in mind, I'll share a mere two or three precious and memorable moments:

   ~       Some family friends had a go-cart, and we all went to a large, empty parking lot one day. Dad was quite worried when I got behind the wheel because I was only nine or ten.  He made the unfortunate decision of monitoring my motoring skills by walking in front of me. Lowering my helmeted head and envisioning a bulls-eye, I floored it...chasing him all over the parking lot.  (Evil child, evil child). I'm sure a YouTube video of that event would have accumulated a gazillion hits!

 ~        I was involved in a freak accident at a baseball game when I was twenty-three. The bat slipped out of the batter's hand and flew into the stands, landing on my forehead. (I had a concussion, four skull fractures, and twenty-eight stitches). Being the consummate comedian, he would tell me my black eyes reminded him of the Tareyton cigarette commercial, "I'd rather fight than switch." I did look like a boxer that had gone too many rounds!

This last memory affects me to this day...

~      My dad loved Honky Tonk music; in fact, he passed while listening to one of his favorite CDs.  As a child, I remember him down in the basement, blasting Big Tiny Little, Knuckles O'Toole, and Eddie Barns, to name a few.  On Saturday mornings that music was a "call for duty."  My sister and I knew the minute the music started that it was time to "Police up the Area" (clean the house). A while back, after my parents moved in with us, I came up with the bright idea to create a CD with Dad's favorites since he didn't have a turntable anymore. (Not too bright, Patti). He played those CDs all the time, which explained why my house was always spotless.  To this day, if I need any encouragement to clean the house, I put on his CD.  Memories come back, and I use my falling tears instead of Pledge to dust. 

Dad, you and I went through a lot in my sixty+ years, but what warms my heart and humbles me the most was your unconditional love.  The period in my life when I fell as far as anyone could, the days when I caused you unrelenting embarrassment and heartache, your hand was always there to pick me up, and your arms were there to hug me.

I Love and Miss You So Very Much...