Top Ten...for My Dad

As I previously mentioned, Dad had a birthday on Saturday--his 68th. Doesn't he look young for a 68 year-old? :)

For his birthday lunch on Sunday, I made a German chocolate cake--from scratch, of course--and it was so yummy, if I do say so myself. And I do. I can hardly wait to eat another piece tonight (but not after 7:00 p.m.). I let Josiah and David put the candles on his cake which accounts for the lopsided glow coming from it; they didn't think too highly of evenly-spaced symmetrical spacing. And we didn't have enough candles in the house for Dad's real age, so we just put 8 candles on the cake. :)
In honor of my dad, I've compiled a list of things about him which I appreciate, special memories I have, etc. Here's a Top Ten list, all about you, Dad!

1. I'm the youngest child in my family; and during the time when I was the last child at home before starting school, Dad would play UNO with me when he came up from the office to have lunch at home with us (his office is just down the hill from the house, so he always ate three meals a day at home). I remember Dad pretending to be so sad when he lost; he would pull down on his lower lip and make silly boo-hooing noises, and I thought it was so much fun. :)

2. Once during my childhood, I was sick and had a high enough fever that I was sort of delirious, I think. At that point in time, Dad dispensed medicines from his office; but he didn't have the right kind of medicine that I needed (the fact that I couldn't swallow pills at all made the task of finding the right medicine for me more difficult) so he drove into town to pick up some medicine at a pharmacy. Apparently, it was right around Valentine's Day; and when he came home, he had a heart-shaped box of chocolates for me which was highly unusual (the only time he ever did that, if I remember correctly). I was thrilled! I'm sure that contributed to my speedy recovery!

3. We always had so much fun during our summer vacations to the beach. I loved having family time to relax, play games together, fish, swim, read, etc...just to focus on each other, rather than on the myriad of work/home responsibilities that usually were present. I appreciate my dad taking time off work, paying for the trip, and simply having fun with us during those vacations. Many happy memories...

4. During my teen years, my mother often needed to travel to Pennsylvania to help to care for her parents. When she was gone, I was the lady of the house and was given invaluable opportunities for hands-on learning to keep a household going. I especially remember that Dad was a very willing guinea pig when it came to my experiments in cooking. Even when my first attempt at solo biscuit-making ended with objects more appropriately called "solid" rather than "fluffy," he never uttered a word of complaint but gamely tried everything I concocted for him.

5. During high school and college, as my schedule got busier with various sports or music events in which I participated, I knew I could always count on my parents to be there for those events. It didn't matter if I was playing basketball an hour away from home in a snowstorm, they would be there. It didn't matter if my choir was singing a program that my parents had heard 20 times before, they would be there. It didn't matter if Dad had stacks and stacks of paperwork at the office, he would be there. It didn't matter that I went to college 3 hours from home and was accompanying someone else during a senior recital (it wasn't even my own recital), they would be there. As I look back, I'm in awe of how committed they were to being there for my activities.

6. My dad welcomed Jeff like a son (well, as soon as he and Mother got over their initial--um--"reluctance"). :) From their man-to-man talk at a little restaurant in Speculator, New York, during the summer of 1996 when Jeff and I were trying to figure out our future, until today when Jeff appropriately considers my dad one of the most important men in his life, they have enjoyed a very good relationship. I know in-law relationships are so stereotypically bad that countless jokes are made about them, but that doesn't describe Jeff's relationship with my parents AT ALL.

7. At my wedding, Dad, not being content with the "her mother and I" line, planned to give a little speech in response to the question of who was giving me to this man. How much he intended to say, we'll never know because he got all choked up and simply couldn't get further than the first few lines. My dad doesn't tend to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but I knew from his response that day how much he loved me.

8. My dad has always been an outstanding provider for us as children--certainly not indulging all our whims and thereby spoiling us, but making sure we were always taken care of. I think one of the reasons I never, ever worry about money is because I've always felt like I have the biggest, softest security blanket as far as finances go. Fortunately, Jeff is also an outstanding provider, so we haven't needed Dad's bank account to be our security blanket...but I can't count the times Dad has said, when he knows we're facing some kind of financial challenge, "If you need help, I've got a little extra money in the account now." :)

9. Is it always true that basically undemonstrative dads become gooey grandpas? I love watching my dad cuddle with my boys, telling "Mickey Monkey" stories to them, quizzing Josiah on math facts, holding Tobin so naturally on his lap, expressing his love to them. I delight in this.

10. Unlike so many women of my generation, I have never had to doubt my father's existence or love...and consequently, I have never had "issues" with seeing God as a father figure ("of course, God is my Father; that's a good thing!" but not all women can say that). All because of who my father has been to me.

~ Dad on top of Bald Knob in West Virginia yesterday

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you.