Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Greatest Love...Family, Facetime and Tinkie-Winkies

                                              Jake is in Sarah's Tummy but he is there

When I came home tonight I found Daddy in the chair in the living room, contemplating, with a book in his hand. There was a palpabale spirit present, one of peace and comfort and Daddy began to get a little emotional. When I asked him to explain what was happening he began to discuss our family, but in particular the Grandchildren. He looked me directly in the eye and said " I am afraid they wont know who I am." Immediately I knelt down beside him and put my hands up on his knee, briefly reminding me of the Primary song "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home," which of course was always my favorite, anyhow I tried to comfort him and explain to him that all of his Grandchildren will know him, even if they are not on this Earth yet or may be waiting on the other side already, in fact truth is I believe they are those who will know him the most, but for the ones that are here now, I assured him that not only do they adore him but they know him and will remember him always. I told Daddy not to worry about this because it is our job to carry on his legacy, his stories and to share with them his Greatest love, his Family. Now as tender as you may think this is wipe away those tears and blink your eyes dry and lets just take a moment to list a few examples from just the past few months, to reassure Daddy why we will always remember him:

You have nicknamed your Hernia "The Herniator"

You sing "I saw the Sign," exchanging the word "sign" for "light" when describing why you just bolted for the bathroom, stating that "No you don't have diarrhea, something just saw the light and wanted out!"

You truly believe you have Super Powers and that this is a gift from the "Chemo Gods"

You use the Hairdryer more often than I do and Yet you have no hair.

You continue to wear a hat that you are genuinely bothered by because you are sooo convinced it is a Woman's Hat that keeps magically appearing in your drawer.

You finally realized that it may no longer be an appropriate thing to ask your 15 year old Granddaughter if she is wearing her "Tinkie-Winkies."

Your favorite thing to say, appropriate timing or not, is "That's what I'm Talking about."

You make funny faces while up on the stand at church in front of an entire congregation of people not realizing, or remembering that they to can see you.

You consistently wear 1 of 3 shirts to chemo in an effort to trick the doctor into believing your weight hasn't changed.

You made a fire downstairs to warm my room but forgot to open the shoot and nearly burned the house down.

Your exercise as of late has consisted of perfecting your "Face-time Face" to impress your 2 year old Granddaughter.

You learned how to use your ipad simply for Pandora Radio to satisfy your addiction of "Music from the 60's."

You once tried to Kill My Dog when you thought it was the, "Best Option."

You sing "Georgia on my mind" while in the shower, often substituting Georgia for "Pammy"

You force me into reading multiple chapters in the Book of Mormon every night, (which I do actually love, shh don't tell Daddy) and then when you want to explain what is going on you say, "Lets bring Becky up to speed."

You have dedicated yourself to your Church Calling serving and loving all Ward Members with an Open Heart and Open Mind.

You have shared your Testimony with many and exemplified Great Strength and Faith.

You Love your Family, Both on this side of the veil and the other, with absolutely everything you have.

But most important Daddy, is that you still have a lot of time on this Earth to make memories, share moments and to create and build an impression that will forever continue to influence those who know you and especially those who have so much of your love, passion, humor, and beliefs already. Pieces of you are found in all of us Daddy and your spirit will be carried in our hearts and minds forever. So stop worrying because your crazy if you think that one day I won't be telling your grandchildren stories of a 'crazed man with no legs who swings through trees chasing after girl scouts, in fact it has already happened....and by the way that story, although one of your best pieces of fiction, is always a lot more funny than terrifying. I guess it's a good thing that you still have plenty of time re-write it!

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