My Dad

Five years ago today my dad passed away.  It is hard to believe that he has not been with us in person for five years...but his spirit is with me every day.  I sat down last night and read through the various cards that were sent to me when he passed away.  There were so many similar comments in the many cards I received from my friends, my dad's friends and many of our co-workers.

• He had such high integrity and was a fantastic listener. 
• He connected with everyone.  We used to tease him that we couldn't walk down the street without him running into someone he knew.  This even happened when we traveled out of state...we'd run into someone he knew in airports or hotels.  He rarely met a stranger.
• His smile and laughter lit up the room.  When my dad laughed...everyone heard him.  I can hear his laugh as clear as if he was standing next to me.  Just imagine a really loud. "HAAA, HAAA, HAAA!"  I'll never forget the singing telegram from his 50th birthday or his retirement party...he made the most out of it!
• How he loved my mum, my brothers and me.  And we knew it.  We were so blessed that he told us how much he loved us and how proud he was of what we had accomplished whether it was doing well in school when we were younger or as we grew older how proud he was of us as parents, spouses and professionals. Together my parents taught us the value of family.  
• I didn't realize it until I was out of college, but my dad never set expectations for me differently because I was a girl.  He encouraged me to put my best foot forward and not look back.  My whole family worked together for many, many years.  What a testament to both my parents that we worked together and were happy and successful.

I could go on and on about my dad.  My heart is heavy knowing that he has never met Marcel and didn't have too much of a chance to spend time with Collin, but I know he is watching down over us and smiling at how the boys are growing up.  We miss and love you Dad.

I'll end today's post with one of my favorite pictures of me and my dad on my wedding day.  When we were planning our wedding, he kept telling us, "You do it once..and you do it right."  (My dad's subtle way of telling me...don't come back for me to pay for a second wedding if you get divorced!)...the good news is he and my mom set a wonderful example of marriage....so dad...17 plus years and Pat and I are going strong!  I look at this picture and can certainly feel this little girl's hand holding her dad's hand.