Forever Thankful

(A sprinkling of Father's Day thoughts)

I miss how you devoured books, always eager to learn.
I miss how you steeped a glass carafe of green tea, and then chilled it in the fridge to drink a glass of iced green tea with your lunch.
I miss how you knew the names of all the trees and plants.
I miss your attention to detail and your memory, which could remember the minutest details.
I miss how much fun you had driving your BMW.
I miss all the camping trips (and all the stories about them).
I miss your shaggy, dirty blonde hair.
I miss all the hikes with you in the lead, because nature is where you came alive.
I miss your seemingly gruff persona, which really was a softie inside.
I love how you loved to tell stories and hear good stories.
I love how you valued people, and not things.
I love how you supported everything I did and wanted to do.
I love how you were so proud of my writing, and wanted everyone to read my first book. I wish you could have read my second book, and this blog.
I love how you carried the Bible I gave you to Sunday school each week.
I love how on that last trip, in California, you wore slippers on a hike to a waterfall in Yosemite.
I love how you didn't care what people thought about you, but it was more important to do the right thing, always.
I love how you loved your family so deeply, it was clear to everyone who knew you.

I am forever thankful for the strong ethics, morals, and Christian roots you instilled in your children. Your memory lives on through the lives of all those you knew. We can pass along your lessons, and laugh at the memories you left with us with joy in our hearts knowing we will see you again.