I know that lots of us think that we have or had the very best daddy.
October 26th was my daddy's birthday. Although he died a little over
two years ago, I still miss him very much every day.
Because of his career, he was often not at home. His job took him to
over 130 countries during the span of his career. Daddy was always
flying off to London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, New Delhi. He went to
almost every corner of Africa, Asia and South America. He
would often be gone for a month or two at a time.
Sometimes when he came home it would take me a while to get used to
having him around. But it never took too long. His suitcase would always be
filled with some treasure for me. It would often be a doll from an exotic
land, or some piece of clothing, or jewelry. He would have lots of pictures
and exciting stories to tell me about all of his adventures.
While he was home, every minute he spent with me was quality time.
He put up a tent in the backyard for me. Not just any tent, but one with
it's own hardwood floor. It had running water too. It was my own
little oasis. I would often pretend that I was on safari in Africa in that
tent, although not many wild creatures in the suburbs of Chicago.
He planted thick hedges around the perimeter of our backyard very much
like the ones seen in England. He cut out a little doorway so that my friends
and I could walk through and pretend we were entering a magical world.
In the winter, daddy built a big igloo in the front yard and all the neighborhood
kids came over to play in it every day until it melted.
When I was very young, he read a story to me every night. But the story was
never the same as it was on the page. He knew that I knew all of these
stories by heart, so he tweaked them. And, he always tweaked them to be humorous.
He would make me laugh every night.
He played practical jokes on me that made me laugh too.
Although he was a fun daddy, he was a good listener too. He always
took the time to listen to my problems.
He broadened my horizons and introduced me to the various cultures
that make up humanity. He taught me tolerance of others. Through
him I met many children of various countries and developed the
love of travel.
And most of all, he loved dogs and had the best stories of the many
dogs he had as a boy.
I know that this post is self indulgent. Thanks for hearing me out.
I can't think of a better topic for me to write about for
Favorite Thing Saturday. I wish you were here today Daddy
so that we could celebrate your birthday together.
Bentley ~ your grandpa was an almost a bigger dog lover than me.
Have I ever told you the story about his dog Tuxie?
Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
