- Super short short shorts and soaking wet-with-sweat hugs
- Marvelling at how it was even possible to run a 7 minute mile
- Many, many trips to George Wythe High School's track where I would fill my role as "rabbit"
- Being presented with fallen leaves raked into a military fomation in the hopes I would get interested in the Civil War (only my sister ever "got it")
- Long talks riding in the car whenever there was a serious topic at hand
- His shaving in the car every morning with his electric razor
- Bringing home many puppies over the years against my mother's will and then placing them in her arms guaranteeing their place in our family
- Being awakened early on Saturday mornings to the Beach Boys blaring (ususally Barbara Ann or Help Me Rhonda) while he danced beside my bed
- When he gave me a small pink bell with the words "Ring if you need me"
- Driving through the night perched up over the front seat, while my mother and sister slept, to Florida, Rhode Island or Vermont
- My parents sleeping on the Florida beaches while we played
- That moment several years ago when I realized I could no longer go to him for advice. Our roles shifted that day
- When he cried with me at the Outer Banks and expressed his frustration with his body
- Hiking up to the Lake of the Clouds in the wet season
- Sleeping in Taft Lodge up on the mountain
- Our last hike when he could not make it to the shelter. We slept out in the open, I carried his pack and cared for him and was never so grateful to have the help of strangers in my life as I was on the way back down
- How much fun it was to ride in the back of that convertible MG...and his horror, when after buying another and agreeing to left me drive, when I didn't realize the pedals were so close together and hit 2 pedals at once
- Riding down here on the move from Vermont. I felt so pround to ride in the truck with the men and my kitty
- How accepting he has always managed to be of everyone - even when he did not agree
- Being so happy for him when his (national) employer inducted him to the Hall of Fame and so grateful he was well enough to see and enjoy it
- How he's sneak PB&J sandwiches to my eldest when she would refuse to eat what was served in favor of going to bed hungry...Whenever she got in trouble she's yell, "Save me Pop-Pop!" and he always would
- Going in to assess foreclosed homes with him
- Thinking it was silly, then awesome as I aged, that he helped his customers move into their 1st homes on move day
- How the door is always open and he is always, if not happy, at least polite to any and everyone who wants to visit
- weeding in what seemed like a huge garden
- How brave he was every time crickets swarmed out of the shed
- Traipsing along in the magical path he created when he mowed the lawn
- Super Bowl parties with his friends
- Being "dragged"all over Gettysbug many times
- The Baseball Hall of Fame
- Going grocery shopping every time he and my Mom fought to give her time to cool off
Hopefully I will quickly get to the pace where I did with my Grandmother. It's like she never left. I just don't get to see her every day.
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI lost my Dad in July. I was lucky to have him in my life on a such a regular basis for the past 4 years - and on an almost daily basis the past 6 months. He watched our son three days a week for years. In many ways, he was my best friend. And then in a blink - he was gone. I still struggle everyday with the loss - I had no idea how hard this was going to be. I cried reading your memories here. They were good tears. Thank you for posting. I will send all my thoughts, prayers and healing energy to Dena. It sounds like she has a great prognosis.
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