Today would have been my Dad's 58th Birthday. Oh how I wish I could call him to say Happy Birthday. Maybe we would be cooking him dinner. Maybe he could read Ian his bedtime stories.
We have been so blessed with life....
One of the most important things my Dad taught me was to pay attention. Whether that was a hawk flying beside the road, even if that meant having to swerve at the last minute to avoid a tree or another car. Or remembering what cards were already played in euchre, even that one great game during the campout in 2005. But most importantly to pay attention to each other . Remembering people's names, a joke they thought was funny, or something important to them - and hearing it all. In our family, John, Ian and I, spend time at dinner talking about our favorite part of the day, then with intention we listen with our ears and eyes while the other person is sharing. It has become something Ian will ask randomly "Mommy what's your part today?" When we ask him he usually says, "Um probably eating dinner to you." My Dad's presence is extended into special parts of our lives. I'm blessed to have learned that lesson long before he died. My hope is that Ian will feel my Dad's love through my actions as a parent, since I have a very special, loving Father who taught me to pay attention by giving me his.
