I Didn't Forget - x7

Well, another year has passed since my Dad got called home to Heaven. Early this morning marks 7 years since that fateful day (January 26, 2003)....but once again, I choose to remember the man, not the ending. (That first picture is my very favorite one of Dad and I - it's now carved into the memorial box that Chris made for Dad's ashes).

Dad was a very smart, hard-working, quiet guy who had a great sarcastic sense of humor. Some of my friends were even scared of him because they thought he was so serious, but then he would throw out some sarcastic comment and then laugh at this own joke. So funny. He even used to call my Mom a 'kraut' because she's part German.

I remember he used to joke with my aunt and my Mom that men must be the better gender because look at ducks - the males are a pretty green color and the females are boring brown. He would say stuff like this just to get us girls all riled up - HA!

Dad was always very protective of his vehicles and his stuff. If you bumped into something, he would say (sarcastically, of course) - "What, are you driving by FEEL?!" He expected excellence from us and we rose to the occasion. He was a good provider and made many sacrifices for us.

He was the kind of Dad who could fix, build, modify, or solve any problem. He taught me how to mow the grass, he let me drive his beloved Suburban in a campground once (it shocked me!), and he would let us take the wheel on the boat and helped us steer.

He built his own utility trailer and then moved me to college in it. He built beautiful shelves in our bedrooms when we were kids - all my stuffed animals and toys sat on those shelves for years. He always maintained his own vehicles - oil changes, brakes, transmissions, spark plugs, tires, you name it. I didn't realize until I was adult that people actually go and PAY somebody ELSE for changing the oil! When I was in college, the transmission died in my car....so Dad hunted down the right used transmission and drove it over to Eau Claire and had it put in my car. I knew I could just count on him to fix things and everything would be OK. I really took that for granted and I wish I hadn't. I didn't realize how great of a gift that was at the time.....

He would fix anything that broke, and even used his own metal cutters to clip wires from my braces that were too long and poking my mouth. I used to see his garage as a Santa's workshop of sorts - magic happened out there. I would hand him something broken and it would come back from the garage fixed. AMAZING!

But I think the thing that I miss the most is his advice. I always knew that Dad would know what to do when anything went wrong. He knew about money, investing, cars, houses, fixing things, electronics, seemingly everything! I always felt safe when Dad was near - like I was insulated from the evil in the world if Dad was home.

I really miss him - I know that I grossly took him for granted when he was alive, as if he would live forever. For any of you reading that still have your Dad in your life, please go hug him and thank him for the great things he has done for you. I wish I could do that now...but I waited too long to realize how great he really was.