Since Father's Day is so close, I thought I would give props to my dad. I don't think I take the time I should to thank him for everything he does for me, John and the boys.
Growing up I was a crazy insane child. If you know Crockett, I was just like him. Always pushing the limit and just as strong willed as can be! I remember my dad taking me to fishing rodeos and trying to get me to sit still long enough to catch something. I remember going with my dad to work (at Fed Ex) cause I won a contest to have an airplane named after me and cowering behind his leg as if I were shy and him patting my head and hugging me. I remember him always making things for us to use in school projects because he was and still is the master of rigging things. Dad made us cool little wall shelves to put our nick knacks on. (Mine was filled with little glass ponies, unicorns and all the astrosnicks and smurf figures you could find.) I remember him carrying us to bed some nights and "tossing" us down.
One of my most vivid memories with my dad and one that I am not sure if he realizes that I cherish is when I was 10 or 11 years old (could have been older) and he took me to an empty field and we flew his model airplanes. On the way home we always stopped at a little corner store and got a Cream Soda in a glass bottle. We did this several times that year and I will forever remember it. I don't really like Cream Soda now (and I think I only liked it then because my dad did) but every time I smell or taste it, those memories flood into the front of my mind and make me smile.
Another memory that will forever be ingrained in my mind is a not so pleasant one. I was around 14 or 15 and my dad had finally given me the go ahead to cut the grass on our new riding lawnmower. I was so excited because it gave me a reason to wear my bathing suit outside and get a tan. I got completely done cutting our acre of grass and was traveling back toward the house from the backyard going a good speed. I looked down to assess my tan, not paying attention to my surroundings and I looked up just in time to realize I was about to run in to my dads boat. I didn't stop in time and ran smack into the boat, ramming it into his work shed. I saw no evidence of damage to the boat or the shed, so I parked the lawnmower under the carport and went inside to shower. After my shower, my dad came to me just as calm as can be and asked me if I had hit something with his mower. I said no. He asked me again. I said no. He took me outside and showed me a dent on the lawnmower and asked me again. I again, said no and that it was already there. He then took me to his shed, but before opening his door, he asked me again. I didn't say anything. He opened the door and every hammer, every nail, everything that had been on the wall was on the floor and the end of the trailer that held the boat was protruding through. I was speechless and was grounded "not for doing it" my dad said, "but for lying about it." He taught me a very valuable lesson that day. Just because you can't see the damage from the outside, doesn't mean it's not there and lying about it only makes it worse.
A note of thanks to my Daddy,
Thank you for all you do. Thank you for loving my mom and showing us how a man should treat his wife. Thank you for loving me and Wendy and for giving us "tough love" from time to time (which we so desperately needed---Wendy more than me, of course)! Thank you for coming to my house and doing odd jobs that we don't have a clue about or that would go undone because of Johns work schedule. Thank you for coming to my house early on some Saturdays to sit and wait for the boys to wake up so I wouldn't have to get up so early when I had to work. Thank you for giving my boys "tough love" when necessary. Thank you for your patience that is so hard to have when dealing with them and for all the time you spend with them as their Poppy! Thank you for being a great Christian example and always leading us to do what's right. Thank you for providing for our family growing up and working long hard hours to do so.......and for providing occasional meals for us now too! (some things never change, huh?) There are so many more things that I could thank you for but just don't have the time to do........I love you so much and thank God for you!
I am going to add one more thing to this post. I knew both of my grandfathers growing up. I was very close to them both also. I never realized just how outside of the norm that was until I met my husband. He did not know either of his grandfathers and was jealous of the relationship I had with them since he was not allowed that opportunity.
My dads father was a very loving and caring man.....always had kind words to say and made you feel at ease when you were around him. My fondest memory of him was when I was in school and my parents went out of town and left me with my dads parents. He went out of his way to make sure that I had what I needed to make me feel comfortable. When they didn't have any diet coke in the house (I was in 7th grade so that tells you how long I have been addicted...LOL), he went out at 9pm (which was late for him) and got me some. He passed away in 2001 and I miss him dearly but I still have the wonderful memories that we made and know that I will see him again one day! Thank you Grampa for being an awesome father and grandfather! I love you!
My moms dad also passed away in 2001 but he was a great great man! Pawpaw was one of those people that you KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that is in heaven praising God! He was so gentle....so kind....so sentimental and so loving. He loved his family deeply and loved God with all his heart. He was one of the most patriotic men I knew and was so proud to have been in the Navy to serve our country. The thing I miss most about my Pawpaw was his stories. I could sit for hours and listen to him talk about his past experiences. We would ride down the road and he would point things out along the way and tell about his life as a child or young adult and a memory connected to it. He also loved for me, Wendy and Summer to sing together. He would brag on us and when we sang in church he would always tear up, break out his handkerchief and raise his hands in praise. I miss my Pawpaw everyday and wish my boys had been able to meet him. Thanks Pawpaw for being such a great father to my mom and her sisters and such an awesome example to the entire family on what it truly means to love. I love and miss you so much Pawpaw and Happy Fathers Day.
To everyone, thank God for your dads, grandfathers and any other father figures or mentors that play the role! Not everyone has the luxury of having a father, so if you do, you are blessed! Don't let this time go by without telling them!
