Sunday, June 19, 2011

For Dad............

Today, being Father's Day, I want to honor my dad!
I was extremely fortunate that, at the age of 4, my mom remarried an incredible man.  He has been the rock in our family since that time and has truly been everything I needed in a father.  We may not have had the same last name, but he was the one who was ALWAYS there for me.  It was as if we had a spiritual connection that went beyond blood and biology.  It didn't matter what mistakes or scrapes I got into, he would always pick me up and brush me off with a hug and the support to keep on going.

I know I gave my dad more then a few gray hairs too!  My biggest problem has always been thinking I could do it ALL while trying to save the world......which as a child included many animals, big and small!  Probably the biggest fright I gave my dad was when one of my horses got loose.  The horse was running full tilt down St. Joe Hwy. and my dad and I were in the van following him, hoping to get him to stop so I could get a lead on.  You have to understand that as a kid, I was convinced I should have been born Native American.  I was always the "Indian" when we played Cowboys and Indians!  (Yes, I was a Tomboy too ;o).  So I guess I had it in my head that I could leap out of the van and land on that horse.  We had the side door of the van open as we came even with my galloping horse and I just jumped out of the side of the van to catch him!  Oops................
I actually made it fine, no injuries (I do have a little Cherokee in me lol)!!  However, I think my dad came pretty close to a heart attack that day!  Thankfully, he didn't loose a finger that time.....that is another horse and another story, for another day ;o)

Like most of you, there were a few stories like that and as I got older, I went from trying to save animals to trying to save people.  Throughout it all he has been calmly waiting there, on the sidelines, to pick up the pieces when I fell apart.  Now I have a chance to give back a little of the support he has given me over the years.  Although his dementia seems to get worse daily and he can't always remember what we talked about 5 minutes ago, he is still the same sweet, funny and brilliant father he has always been!

So a BIG THANK YOU to my dad and all the dad's out there who pick up the pieces when we stumble along life's path.  Of course, I have to end this with a picture of what I made dad for Father's Day.....poor thing doesn't have a bit of fat on him to stay warm, so I made him a lap blanket to give him a little extra insulation :o)