Sunday, June 15, 2008
Question of the Week - June 15
Honoring Father's Day, what is ONE good memory you have of your father (or any other dad-like figure in your life) that sticks out in your mind? Share whatever you are comfortable sharing... it doesn't have to be your favorite memory ever but rather one thing that first comes to your mind.
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One of the things I love about my dad is he supports me "behind the scenes". Years later I would learn he was behind several "acts of kindness".
Today (Father's day) we were talking about basketball (the Lakers, of course) and I asked him about when he played basketball. He said while he did play some he never liked all of the elbowing. He would rather be buddies with the other team then beat them (or beat them up while playing). And that sums up my dad, Buddy (his nickname).
I have lots of fond memories of my dad, but one of my faves is him taking me to his deer lease to learn how to drive. The jeep he taught me on was an old army jeep that was camo colored, had rust spots and was falling apart, but I adored that old thing since I was only 12 and thought I was hot stuff learning how to drive. On that same weekend I got to go swimming in the pond, and he taught me how to shoot his antique 22. One of the things that make this place so special to me is several years ago the state bought the land, and turned it into a vetrens memorial, which is where my Dad is burried. The pond is still there, and he is laid to rest someplace that he loved.
I have a lot of great memories with my dad too, but one that sticks in my mind right now has nothing to do with me. Rather it was just a thoughtful gesture that stuck out in my mind. It was my dad coaching my little brothers' baseball team, and they had a tournament on Mother's Day. My dad went out and bought flowers and had each of the boys take a flower to their moms at the end of the game.
Wow, these are awesome stories to read! My story was from when I was college-aged & came home from NYU to be in Houston for my sister's wedding & all the events surrounding it. Now our family gets along famously these days but back then, it was the classic "home for the holidays" cliche - everyone was on edge, my sis the bride was huffin & puffin long before the term "bridezilla" was coined, there were quick arguments, misunderstandings, mishaps, resentments, you name it. Though it was great to be together as usual, it was hard not to get swept up in the tide of drama...
At one point, we're all transporting somewhere - my bro is w/ his wife, my older sis w/ her then-hubby, my sis w/ her fiancee/new hubby. AND as usual, & as it had been through my ENTIRE life, I got "stuck" in the car w/ my parents. My siblings are 11, 9 & 6 years older than me, so sometimes I felt like I grew up an only child w/ siblings... it was the loneliest feeling in the world because I HAD siblings, I spent years alone due to the age differences. I had years of vacations, etc. being "just" w/ my parents.
SO in the car, I start bawling about always being shuffled off w/ my parents like a child. And my dad said something like, we 3 will always stick together. Which didn't work, as that was what I was boohooing about. But then he proceeded to share a secret that my siblings wouldn't know for years. It was an honor for him to share it w/ me & I realized that the result of being "stuck" w/ my parents for years, was that I had the privilege of getting to know them more as PEOPLE. I think it took my siblings years to see my parents as people other than "Dad & Mom" but I always saw them as individuals beyond being our parents, beautiful in their strengths & flaws. I am so grateful for that!
My dad was a cornball which is where I get some of my sense of humor. He loved to ask people "Who was buried in Grants tomb" and Confucious jokes were favorites to him. Space Balls, Blazing Saddles, movies like that were his favorites except he also loved Sci Fi. I dont know if anyone has ever heard of the british sci fi "Dr. Who" but he would actually record it if he missed it, you'd just have to see an episode to appreciate the humor in the idea that he recorded them.
Dad had a plump belly on him and when my girls were babies, as soon as he would pick them up, they would snuggle on his belly & fall right to sleep.
I could go on and on about memories of my dad and how much I love and miss him. If your dad is still here, make sure you tell him how important he is to you!
I never knew my dad; he died right after I was born. I grew up with my grandparents, and have lots of memories of my grandpa. One of my earliest was riding on the fender of the tractor while he was feeding cattle in the cattleyard or while he was doing fieldwork. I absolutely loved it! Another is similar to Amanda's- we had a 1943 Willy's army jeep, and it's what I learned to drive in. I loved it, and I was heartbroken when Grandpa sold it. It's part of the reason why the dong "Drive" by Alan Jackson makes me bawl like crazy. Grandpa is usually really predictable, but every once in awhile he does something that shocks me, like what he did on Valentine's Day this year. I came home from work and there was a pink rose on my counter. The only people who have a key to my house are my boyfriend and my grandparents, and my boyfriend swore it wasn't him. I called my grandparents and grandpa said he thought his only granddaughter should have a flower for Valentine's Day. I was shocked- he'd never done anything like that before!
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