When I was in the sixth grade I got into trouble for disobeying the teachers. The principal punished me by not letting me go on an upcoming field trip. I was really looking forward to seeing “Lincoln’s Birthplace”. My teacher gave me back the money that my parents paid for the trip. She handed me five one dollar bills. I’ll never forget the walk home from school that day. It was the longest walk of my life and I only lived a few blocks away. I prayed my dad would be home and not my mom. I could talk to my dad about messing up but mom was the disciplinarian in the family. She would be very angry with me. As if God answered my prayer there he was. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking his coffee. I took a deep breath and told him what I did. Dad always told me that I could come to him with anything. He told me once that if I came to him instead of the teachers and told him that I messed up, then I must have been feeling bad about it and that was punishment enough. As a parent I’m not sure if I agree with that philosophy, but at twelve it was alright with me. When I finished telling him what I did, I handed him the money. He looked down at it and back up at me. I wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He told me “I know you were looking forward to going on this field trip. To me that is punishment enough. I also know you’re never going to do anything that foolish again right?” I nodded with tears in my eyes. He hugged me and gave me one of the dollars and instructed me to go buy some candy at the corner store. That is one of my favorite memories of my dad. Posing with one of his gifts My dad was not a college educated man. He was a simple hard working man. What you saw was what you got. I remember the time he was teaching me how to drive. He took me into the next county. It was a long drive for me. He just sat back and relaxed as I did the driving. One time I was driving along and he spoke up and said “turn here on your right.” I didn’t have time to slow down so I turned right into this rocky parking lot. When I did, the car skidded a little and there was a lot of dust behind me. I managed to slow the car down and bring it to a complete stop. I looked over expecting my dad to be angry but he was laughing. “You drive like Burt Reynolds in Cannonball Run.” I was relieved and started laughing too. family picture When my husband Jim and I were dating, I came home from a date with him and saw my dad sitting in his usual seat at the kitchen. I sat down and talked with him about Jim. He noticed the gleam in my eye. “You love that boy don’t you?” I told him I did. Oh I miss him. When I look at my kids, I just know that they would have loved him. He would have loved them too. I could just see my dad taking my kids fishing with him. I could just see my dad telling my son to quit talking so much. I could see him telling my daughter she looked like her mother (everyone else does). I can only imagine how he would have related to them. My dad died in 1987 of a heart attack. After his funeral I lay on my bed. It was then and there that it hit me. I would never see him drinking his coffee at his usual seat in the kitchen anymore. I would never get the chance to tell him about the date I had just had. My world was crashing in on me and there was nothing I could do about it. I cried harder than I ever had in my whole life. My mom came to me and sat with me. Everyone told me that of all the children my dad had, he favored me. For my brother and three sisters’ sake I never liked hearing that. While my mom sat with me she reiterated this to me. “Your dad loved you more than anything. You have to know that. He cherished you. He always said you were special. I hope this is some comfort to you.” I sat up and looked at her with tears and a runny nose. “Thanks Mom, I needed to hear that.” I hugged her and tucked her words away in my heart.