August 8 – “Happy birthday, Dad”

Today is my Dad’s birthday.  I have no idea what year he was born, but I do know he was a few years older than Mom.  She’s going to be 86 here in a few weeks, so he would have been pretty close to 90.  My best memory of Dad?  Probably playing catch with him in the back yard.  He would encourage me to pretend like I was turning a double play from shortstop, and throw the ball hard enough to “make Max’s hand hurt.”  Max was the first baseman for the team I was on.  Dad was pretty amazing at doing things with his hands as well.  When I was in junior high he made a replica of the Alamo.  Er, I mean WE made a replica of the Alamo.  Actually, if I had helped any more than I did it would have probably turned into a disaster.  As it was, it was a thing of beauty.  In fact we still have it, I think.  I’m pretty sure it was among those things that were stored high up and out of the way during Hurricane Ike.  Must be in the attic somewhere now. 

He was always great with our boys.  I think they looked forward to his wry smile and those “PawPaw-isms,” like “Why, shore,” as much as I did.  And we still have the old toilet that he and Nathan brought over one day.  He just wanted to get it out of the way, so he turned the whole thing into an adventure for Nathan, sneaking it into our back yard.  They even had a backup plan for if they got caught (which they did).  “It’s for Chris to use as a planter.”  Great idea, right?  It’s still in our backyard.  A planter.  I sure hope my grandkids have a somewhat positive memory of me somewhere in their head.

I have to admit the other memories I have of Dad are not so happy.  When he was in the midst of his Alzheimer’s he would come across the street to our house every morning for coffee with me.  That’s where we relived together the trauma of him rediscovering that his Mom had died.  Gut-wrenching as that was, it was very special to be able to be there for him.  I miss him.  Happy birthday, Dad.

 

Psalms 19:14 says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Father, thank you for the legacy my Dad left me.  Would you say hello for me?  Amen.