Today is a pretty special day in my book. One of the best
people I have known came to be on this special day: my dad.
We won’t discuss his age, or that his hair is starting to
gray from all the years of stress his five kids handed him, or even that his eyes
automatically seem to shut the minute someone holds up a camera to him. No,
we’ll discuss why he is so awesome.
He is a man that definitely has some cute quirks that I used
to roll my eyes at, but may have picked up in my own coming of age (I get such
pride in a room vacuumed with perfectly straight rows and kind of cry a little
inside when my kids run across it, or why my dishwasher must be loaded just so
and I might even rearrange it a couple times if I think I could get one more
dish in.).
Cute quirks aside, he is a man honest to the core, the
hardest worker I have ever known, careful, smart, and great with his hands. I
grew up in a home where I believed if anything was broke, my dad could fix it.
Every Saturday he would rise early and immediately set about with his mental
list of chores. The cars were vacuumed, tuned, the yard mowed, the plumbing
fixed, the vacuuming pristine, and finally he could relax a little. My poor,
dear husband. The bar was set so high by my dad that my expectations for Captain
Awesome are through the roof (but lucky me, I married a handy husband who just
happens to keep up with my dad’s handiness).
I remember as a little girl thinking my dad was quite a
mystery man. He was that guy with the big grin and sparkling eyes sneaking us
sugar cereal when mom took the night off. He was that guy who came home late at
night after disappearing for a few hours. He was that guy who turned the really
big stereo on, filling the house with Beach Boys and Beatles (he still giggles
when he puts on “Number 9, number 9, number 9” and I used a Beach Boys song for
our daddy-daughter dance at my wedding). He was that guy who kept the only
q-tips in the house, had an electric shaver, drank lemonade at night, loved ET,
built model cars, hid coins and fingernail clippers in a cup in his closet
right below a box of Cocoa Pebbles, and used the coolest toothbrush I had ever
seen (retro Sonicare). He was the object of my mom’s happy and sad sighs - I
can just hear her now cleaning the counter and pausing with an, “Oh Kerry,
*sigh*.”
My tiny girl memories are mostly little snapshots of the
past, but I do have some sweet memories of my dad. I remember being about 12 or
13 years old when my dad decided that I could spend the day with him at work.
In retrospect I bet my mom was probably DYING to have a summer day off from my
drama and begged him to take me for a day. But I was always a little calmer and
goofier around my dad, so it was one of the best days of my preteen years. I
can still remember sitting in the back of the store and him showing me how to
place “don’t steal me” tags on clothes. I thought I was so important in that retailed
moment and worked so hard to make my dad proud. Afterwards we went next door
and I was allowed to pick out a special toy under $10. I treasured that little
radio for years afterwards and always thought of my dad when I turned it on.
As a teenager I was just a wee bit difficult to be around,
but I appreciate the steadiness my dad always had for me. All he had to do was
give me a look of pure disappointment when I messed up and I would be in my
room with a sob. I wanted more than anything to make him happy. My mom and dad
put high standards in place for my brothers, sisters, and me and I am so
grateful that they kept to those standards despite all that we threw at them.
He showed us a great example by living those high standards and never bending on
them.
As a young adult I had the privilege to work with my dad a
number of summers while between college semesters. It was so fun to spend those
hours in the car with him driving back and forth and getting to know the
coworkers he had. They clearly all adored him as much as I did. We would chat
about what was happening in the world, listen to talk radio, and discuss the
ins and outs of our little family. I missed him terribly when I left for
college.
Now that I am a mommy of my own, I find myself even more
grateful for this good man. I will forever be grateful to him for being an
amazing dad, and now a perfect grandpa.
Happy birthday Dad!
Love,
Your Cherie
