A copy of this picture hangs in my office.
Ellie has been going around out of the blue telling people, "I have Papa's eyes." Luke asked if we could have Villa's bread with dinner tonight. Mom talks about you to the kids on Fridays, guess it's sinking in.
Your CBMU 202 coin lives on a little shelf in our kitchen. The kids call it "Papa's coin", they like to look at it at least once a week and give it a kiss. Did you know that Tom held it in his hand as he walked me down the aisle? See how tight his hand is? It felt as if we stood in the vestibule crying together for 5 minutes before we took that walk. I was strong and prepared to walk tall until I saw him and the tears and the coin in the palm of his hand.
Thanks for showing us how to be honorable people and to pursue our dreams through hard work and perseverance. You lived with integrity. You were first-rate. You clearly made it seem as though you were honored to be our father and her husband. Life with you included an air of positivity and pushing your limits to better yourself, ignoring the negativity of others and not letting "them" drag you down. Failure for you meant a time of growth. Thank you for instilling us with these values and the example of the give and take of a good marriage. Mom certainly gets the gold star medal of valor for being your wife and supporting all of your public roles. The two of you were dynamic.
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand.
4 comments:
I didn't know what to say today. Thinking of you as a daughter without a dad killed me. You are such an incredible mother and person, can't imagine he'd be anything but choked up with pride.
Just happened upon your blog, and I so relate to so much of what you are sharing. I live 3000 miles away from my father & mother and just know they both won't be at the end of the phone line, forever. So, after reading your post, I called and told them (father in particular) how much I love them. I am very close to my dad, probably more so than my mom, as "I am my dad." Thank you for a beautiful, heartfelt post.
Amanda, your free coffee today came with an unspoken understanding. Thank you both for the kind words.
Thank you for sharing. I lost my dad 25 years ago when I was 13. I live by his example and his lessons are still with me to this day.
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