I want to wish all the fathers out there a Happy Fathers Day. Since I have such a great Dad, I dedicate this blog to him.
My Father works very hard. He was always working as much as he possibly could when I was a child, and he still works as hard today. He's pretty good about fixing things and likes to be self reliant - especially when it comes to the home or car. Case in point: Saturday, he got rid of a bee colony that was trying to nest on the side of his home. We'll know in a couple of days if we can add exterminator to his list of accomplishments.
When I was about 6 or 7, my Father had a terrible accident with a table saw. He cut off one finger completely and the other was dangling. The doctors were able to reattach both fingers, but he cannot bend his middle finger on his left hand. (With Vegas drivers - this is not necessarily a bad thing!) I remember a few years after the accident he got a book on hair braiding. It also came with a video. I sat and sat and sat and sat while he tried to learn how to braid my hair - something that most men wouldn't do, let alone someone who couldn't bend all of their fingers. Although he never mastered hair braiding, I have never forgotten the effort.
My Father can sleep at any time and at any place. He was notorious for sleeping in church. One Sunday he pulled a $20 out and tucked it under his leg. Half of it was under his leg and half of it was exposed so we could see it. The game was if he fell asleep we got to keep the money. I think that was one of the few Sundays my Father stayed awake the whole time!
My Father loves his grandchildren and is always willing to babysit. Sometimes the outcome is a little surprising. When my oldest was about a year old, my mother came to take me out to dinner while my Dad stayed with Nicholas. We were gone about 2 hours. When we came home there was poop everywhere! On the couch (both the upper and lower cushions - except for the place where my Dad sat), the floor, the doorknob, the bathroom, the change table, all over Nicholas. To this day we don't know what happened, but we still have a good laugh about it.
My Father taught Nicholas how to snorkel last year for his birthday. He also outfitted Nicholas with professional snorkel gear that he takes with him every time we go swimming. Nicholas can now dive about 6 feet with the snorkel gear on - something I don't do! Nicholas will always have that knowledge of how to snorkel because of my Dad.
Whether intentional or not, my Dad makes me smile. He is warm and generous and hard working. My kids love being around him and he always has Tootsie Rolls and enormous amounts of change in his pocket. I consider myself lucky to be his daughter. If you ever want to know where I get some of my quirks, look no further than my Dad.
