Daddy's Darlin'

Dear Daddy,

I wrote Mom a letter on Mother's Day and I didn't want you to feel left out.



It was an incredible gift to me to be able to take care of you those last six months of your life. I know being with us in the Frozen North and so far away from your church and friends of 60 years was difficult, but to this day I marvel at your good nature in the midst of those very trying circumstances. It was not easy for you to lose your memory along with your independence, but you never lost your sense of humor.



I love this picture of you and Mrs Fer and her Adorable Hub. They had driven down from New York City just to spend some time with you. You really enjoyed people, especially your grandchildren.



You wouldn't believe how much your great grandkids have grown. Mr Boo is such a sweet little guy, and Miss Bee is quite the talker. I need to teach her that rhyme you taught me so many years ago:

"Roses on my shoulders, slippers on my feet.
I'm my Daddy's darlin', don't you think I'm sweet?

We've added another one to the ranks! The day after Christmas last year Son #1 The Preacher and Beautiful Mommy had their third, another little boy. He is adorable, and growing much too fast.

I think both iPodite and I have inherited your love for gadgets. She is a computer whiz, and I have fallen in love with cameras all over again. Every time I take a picture, I think of you and the story Mom told about your going around the corner to the drug store for a fifty cent magazine for her and coming back with a fifty dollar camera for yourself! One of our most precious treasures from your life is the photographs you left us.



I believe it takes a very special man to be the father of girls. You certainly were. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to live in a house full of estrogen, but you did it with grace and humor.

Speaking of your sense of humor, I just laughed out loud, having come across a story from your childhood of your running an electric wire from the window to the porch swing just so you could goose unsuspecting visitors. Now THAT is one picture I would love to have seen! You may not have graduated from college, but you had an inquiring scientific mind. And always a twinkle in your eye!

What I am most grateful for is that you loved us, took care of us, and taught us about Jesus. We may not have had a lot of money growing up, but we had a lot of love and faith, and that's really a child's most pressing need.

Daddy, my biggest regret is that I wasn't there in your final hour to wave you across that river to the eternal shore. It must have been wonderful to see everyone waiting for you to make that final leg of your life's journey.

Yours may have been a quiet life, but you touched a lot of people. Mine was one of them.

I love you, Daddy, and miss you terribly.