In Honor of Dear Ol' Dad

For some reason, my dad has been on my mind a lot these past few days. He's alive and well and the same old dad he's always been, so don't worry. He's just been popping into my thoughts a lot more than usual.

I realized it yesterday morning when I was polishing my shoes before my big meeting. When I cracked open the can of polish, I instantly remembered how Dad would spread the newspaper across the built in cutting board in our kitchen, and then shine all of our shoes. In the military, his boots needed to look good all the time. So, it was a given that he'd keep our shoes looking nice, as well, and we often saw him at the cutting board, buffing away.

That image then led me to Dad with the broom. How he tried over and over again to teach us girls the "right" way to sweep the kitchen. Eventually, as in years later, I think he finally gave up. But, oh, how he tried. The man has the patience of a saint.

I've also recently thought about our projects. Looking back, I realize that we kids were probably a huge hinderance. Yet, Dad used every project as a learning opportunity. He "let" us stain the tongue and groove ceiling before it was hung one summer, each day placing new boards up on sawhorses in the garage. It was a huge ceiling - covering Mom's gigantic kitchen, dining room, and living room. My sis and I appeared to have a smattering of age spots all over our feet and ankles that whole summer, no one realizing it was stain speckles.

Dad also got us involved with car care - I'll bet you never knew that I can change a timing belt as well as a serpentine belt, and of course, my own oil. And then there was the office work. Dad always was and still is involved in close to a million projects at once. This often means serving on committees. We spent many hours assembling packets, stuffing and addressing envelopes, preparing documents, you name it. But the great thing is, it rarely felt like a chore. We really enjoyed Dad trusting us as helpers.

I see it in my own kids now. And I hope as they are growing up so quickly, that I can remember to continue to "let" them help.

Now that Dad is well established in his second career - as a teacher - I see how much he needs to play that role. And since we girls aren't at home any more, I'm so glad he can use his patience and his effectiveness at educating to help with other kids. It's great to have a Dad I can be so proud of.

So, Daddy Doo, here's to you! (Not that he reads my blog, but still...)