Saturday, July 14, 2012

A PROPER SEND OFF TO MY DAD

I'm in New Hampshire this weekend as my family pays tribute to my Dad, one final time.

I’ve always been Daddy’s little girl, ‘Sweety Babe,’ as my Dad would say. He spoiled me most of the bunch.

He dried my tears from a bee sting, combed out the tangles in my hair, carried and rocked me to sleep. He taught me phone etiquette, chess, how to ride a bike, backgammon, how to drive a car, and the simple pleasures of walks in the woods, feeding birds and time with a good book.

He had the strength of a mountain and the patience of …never mind…

My Dad was a combination of Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke, Robert Redford from the movie Jeremiah Johnson and Paul Newman in the movie Cool Hand Luke. One of his favorite sayings was, “I have the strength of ten for I am pure of heart. So modest, right!

His humor was like an aged dry wine, I loved to see his smirk. His advice was offered in witty little snippets you never forgot, like, after beating you at cards for the third time he’d say, “Straight shooters always win and law-breakers always lose.”

When my Dad came to the end of his life he was ok with it. He was ready. He was not sad for himself. He knew he had had a long and happy life. He was satisfied and content. One of the last things he said was, "I'm going home." He was, to the end, a very stable man. I want to be like that when I grow up.

Daddy, you will always be missed, never out of our minds or hearts.

Enjoy your garden, crossword puzzles and afternoon nap. You have definitely earned them.

1 comment:

Juli said...

Enjoy NH. How wonderful it is that you could all be together to remember him again.