He has been on my mind all week. It has been a little over a year since we lost my dad (1 year, 3 1/2 months). While I think of him almost every day, it doesn't usually hit me like it has this week. I think maybe with this being the week of Easter . . . it just reminded me that he isn't here anymore. He loved Easter. He loved HUGE celebrations (hmm . . . maybe that is where I got it from) . . . he loved family . . . he loved his grandchildren . . . he loved everything about this time of year. When I was little, every year we would go to my Tio Juan's ranch. They would mow down a pasture and we would have a HUGE Easter egg hunt . . . followed by a HUGE celebration, with food, family and just fun. We all looked forward to it every year. It was a time we saw many family memebers we didn't see often. It was a time of rememberance and celebration.
This time of year is also the start of trout season and my dad LOVED to fish. He loved everything about the outdoors . . . which he passed on to his children. We even moved far away from family so we could be closer to the mountains . . . he was passionate about the outdoors.
I'm so thankful for the father God gave me. While we didn't always agree . . . he always loved me with everything he had. And while I wished sometimes he did some things differently . . . he made me the woman I am today. He taught me to love with everything I have . . . even when it hurts to. And when I get knocked down . . . he showed me how to get back up. He taught me the important things in life . . . to love God with all my heart . . . family is everything . . . kindness . . . how to bait a hook . . . to appreciate beauty in whatever form it comes in . . . that people can be hard and mean, but love them anyways . . . that there is nothing wrong with passion for life . . . to be proud of my country and know that we are only free because of the brave . . . be proud of where we come from and who we are . . .
These are the things about him I never want to forget . . . and the things I most want my girls to know about him:
- He loved the Lord . . . he even went to seminary when he was young . . . many of his childhood friends called him Preacher . . .
- He loved us . . . really loved us
- He loved his grandchildren . . . they brought out the kid in him and made him happy, especially when he struggled with that
He served our country . . . and was proud to do so
I miss you dad. A lot. Thank you for everything . . . for making me who I am today . . . for loving me, espeically when I made it hard on you . . . for loving my children with everything you had . . . for teaching me to be strong and independent . . . but mostly, for teaching me to be forgiving (which I'm still learning) and showing me how to love.
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