Today is my first Father’s Day in 55 years that I do not have a dad to call or send a card or gift to. It feels odd, sad, and really weird but the reality is that my dad is no longer here with us. All I have today is memories to carry me through.
I remember when I was young my dad ran a service station. It was a Texaco station. My dad was so proud to wear that uniform. The Texaco slogan was:”You can trust your car to the man who wears the star” and my dad was that kind of man. If he worked on your car, it was fixed when he got through with it. We left there when I was 12, and all that remains is an empty building that has a faint outline of the word TEXACO.
My dad went on to work for Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, TX, Cummins Diesel, Fruehauf, and later moved to work at Lone Star Steel in East Texas, before retiring. He loved the lake and fishing was his favorite hobby. He loved to smoke meat for us when we would come to visit. He always made sure there was food on his table for us to enjoy. He was also a gardener. He has always had fresh veggies up until the last couple of years of his life. In an enviable way, my dad knew what he enjoyed and he did those things on a daily basis.
Times were not always easy with my dad, but isn’t it funny that when you let go of the bitterness you feel toward someone, the memories are good ones. My dad was headstrong, determined and things were to be done a certain way. But that was ok. At least he had a way for things to be done. He was meticulous about his tools, for which I am glad that has rubbed off on me. His tools were his livelihood. If you did take care of them…. You didn’t have anything to provide a living with.
As you go through today calling your dad, or having lunch with your dad or just visiting with your dad build some memories that will sustain you in years to come. Because, there will come a day when memories are all you have.
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Your daddy sounds a lot like my hubby! :o)
ReplyDeleteWe have the picture from his funeral on our fridge and every time I see it, I'm amazed at how much Bryan resembles him! Even at the Grandpa's service, an older man who knew RL asked if Bryan was RL's grandson...well, not really asked - pretty much said he HAD to be!
It's neat how, even after someone has left this place, so much of them lives on in the loved ones who've come after! I love my hard-working, meat-smoking city farmer and I'm glad to be part of your sweet family :o)