I have the BEST Dad in the whole entire world because:
He loves a good joke - he loves to tell them and to hear them
He loves chocolate so much that he would probably put chocolate chips in his spaghetti if my mom would let him
He loves to study his scriptures and the words of the prophets - and any other writer who uses extremely long words to say that the Gospel is true
He LOVES his family more than life itself
I have some great childhood memories of my dad:
When I was very little, we would often walk a short distance to church. My dad loved to walk and he had a very long stride. I always tried to match my stride to his. And, even as a young child, I could feel a difference in his demeanor through the way that he walked. On the way to church, he would have a somewhat downward glance and have his hands in his pockets. On the way home from church, he often would be snapping his fingers, or whistling a hymn and he had a spring in his step. That made it all the more challenging, and fun, to try to match his stride.
My dad would take us to all the Saturday morning church service projects, or flag days, or whatever event was happening on a Saturday morning at the church. Those were great times!
He liked to take us other places as well. But the older he got, the harder it was for him to remember how to get places. When we lived in San Jose, Dad took us to the Oakland Temple several times, but we never got there...
A long time ago, I believed him to be a bit off-his-rocker when he would turn on the TV (when we had one), with its volume all the way down, and then turn on the radio with its volume up, so he could watch BYU football games. I've since learned that he enjoyed the radio commentary better than the TV commentary. Now, the memory of this behavior is quite endearing to me.
His Mother (he never called her anything but Mother) was so special to him. When she was succumbing to the effects of age and dementia, he told me that he was mourning the loss of his mother. This was a sad time for him, and yet he held his head high in faith.
My dad liked to go hiking, and camping, and all that outdoorsy kind of stuff. And, if we were willing to go with him, he enjoyed taking us along. One time he took several of us kids with his brother Gene, and several of Genes kids, on a campout in Northern California. We had a great time hiking all day. After dinner, I knew there were dishes to be done but I didn't want to be the one to do them. So I quickly laid out one blanket on the ground, put one blanket on top of me and closed my eyes. Right away my dad came over to check on me and i thought I was going to be in trouble. But he believed that I was asleep. "Boy howdy! She's asleep already!" he said in his accustomed astonishment at the behavior of children. I heard him and Gene start to do the dishes. I felt pretty sly in getting out of it. The ground was hard and pretty uncomfortable. But I couldn't get up and fix my bedding - I would have to do the dishes. Soon, my dad was next to me placing another blanket over me. He asked, "How cold is it going to be tonight, Gene?" I certainly felt warmer, but the ground was getting harder. He continued with the dishes. Again he was by my side putting another blanket over me and tucking them all around me so carefully. Whew! It was really warm! I needed a drink. But I couldn't get up. He went to help the rest of the kids get settled in their beds. Again, he was next to me putting another blanket on me. "Do you think this will be enough for her? Have you got any extra blankets Gene?" Soon, the work was done and everyone was asleep - except me. I laid with my eyes open wishing for a drink, and for some of the blankets that were on top of me to be under me. But that's not all I thought about. I contemplated the warmth and security I felt within. My dad's great care for me stirred something deep within my soul. To this day I call on this memory as I serve my own family.
There are many other things that make my dad special. He is pure. He is kind. He is generous. He is honest. Because he is who he is, I know that God is who He says He is; Our Loving Father in Heaven. My earthly father is a perfect example of my Heavenly Father.
I love my dad for his jokes, his long walking stride, his love for chocolate, his odd male-sports-loving behaviors; but mostly, I love my dad because he showed me how to love.
Happy Fathers Day Dad!
7 comments:
That was really sweet, Micalanne! Your dad is a kind and loving man who always makes me feel loved.
That was very nicely put, Micalanne. What a neat thing to read about your dad.
Micalanne, that was a great post. You're right, Dad is good and kind and pure. I've never heard him lie or swear or disrespect anybody. I remember him humming, too. Remember how he used to practice hymns before church when he was in the choir? He always wanted to lead the Tabernacle Choir.
And you're right about his stride. Once I went for a walk with him and I smelled freshly cut grass and I said that I hated that smell (which I didn't I just was a brat) and he was shocked that I said that! That's why I wrote on my blog that he loves freshly cut grass.
Do you remember in San Jose we were leaving church and he was driving SO SLOWWWWWWLY, and I said, "I can walk faster than this!" So he made me get out and walk. He drove right beside me for a block or two before he let me back in the car. He thought he was hilarious - but I was not amused.
Remember when all us kids used to sleep in the living room sometimes in the summers? We wouldn't settle down and Dad would yell from his room "Go to sleep!" Then he would come out to check on us and we would pretend to be asleep. And by "pretend," I mean we would breathe really loudly and fake snore. We thought we had him fooled, didn't we? He probably thought he had a bunch of idiots for children sometimes.
HaHaHaHaHa! Judy you are so right, we did think we had him fooled!!! Yes, he did want to lead the Tab Choir! He would hum and lead...
Oh my gosh he would drive me CRAZY with his slow driving! To this day I don't know why he would do that!
You never heard him lie because it would never cross his mind to lie; and nowadays he just simply can't remember well enough to lie! :)
I don't think he thought we were idiots; just kids. We drove him crazy, didn't we!!! Those were great days!
I really liked that post Micalanne. You did a good job with it. It was fun to read those memories. I hope he had a good Father's Day!
It was so nice to read your sweet memories. I wish everyone in the world had the opportunity to have such sweet memories of their fathers and their youth. Your dad is a good man.
What a sweet post! I loved reading your childhood memories.. I loved it! :)
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