Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day dad. Where do I begin to write a tribute to the very first man in my life? Never for a minute in 52 years have I doubted your love for me. My earliest memories are of the mornings just you and I would be awake and you would make me French toast for breakfast. Or let me go with you to work on a Saturday morning . You were gone a lot when I was a kid and you were a traveling salesman. I would always worry about you while you were gone and look forward to when you came back. Sometimes I would miss you so much that I would find one of your coats in the closet and hug it cause it smelled like you. I remember holding my breath sometimes waiting for your smokers coughing fit to subside early every morning. That always scared me. And probably kept me from ever smoking. I remember being in 5th grade and wanting a bra so bad. Mom said no, that I didn’t need one. But you took me to the store to buy me one. I remember being embarrassed when you told the clerk, she thinks she needs a bra…couple of band aids would probably do it. But still, you took me and I came home with a bra. I remember you taking me on my 16th birthday to Bristow Ford to pick up my brand new Candy Apple Red Ford Pinto. Twice you walked me down the aisle and gave me away. If there is ever a 3rd time, I hope you’ll be willing to do it again...this time mention there are no returns. You were there for the birth of both my boys. One of the scariest moments of my life was when I got the call from Shelly in 1985 saying you had a heart attack and were in intensive care. I think we made that trip to Kingfisher from Dallas in about 2 hours, praying the whole way. And I remember the day that I walked into the Nazarene Church to hear you testifying about giving your life to Christ. From that day forward you didn't smoke or drink. That really amazed me...still does. I remember you coming in the door of my trailer in Stillwater with Grover, who had just had his leg amputated by you and a pilot friend! I remember you sending money a few years later for some surgery that Grover needed to save his life when Mike was going to put him to sleep because of the cost. I remember you calling and having me and Andy meet you in Okemah because you had found a replacement puppy for him when his beloved Skeeter died. I remember many, many Christmas’s where you were on a frenzy picking up the wrapping paper and stuffing it into the garbage bag…while we all frantically tried to get the gifts out of the way before you stuffed them in the trash. I remember every Thanksgiving you standing at the counter carving (butchering would be more accurate) the turkey. And complaining about mom putting too much sage in the stuffing. I remember once you set the fence on fire shooting lighter fluid on a tiki torch that had just gone out right before Mom’s Luau party started. The silly costumes mom made you wear through the years for her “programs”. I remember the vacations we went on as a kid to South Dakota. It was always amusing to hear them refer to you by your real name. (I won’t embarrass you). I can only remember one fight we had when I was a kid and it was over a boy you didn’t like. I can only remember being grounded once or twice…and you would always rescind that after a couple of hours, hand me a $20 and say, go have fun, don’t mess up again. I remember every Christmas from 1970 on you would hand me money and say “get your mom a pantsuit” . Even when pantsuits were a thing of the past. I remember mom wanting an inground pool and so you dug a hole with a backhoe in the backyard and sunk an above ground pool in the hole. And I remember when you tired of messing with it how you filled it up with dirt and made it disapear. I think my sense of humor comes from you as well as mom. Because no one can tell a story quite like you. I remember the time you ran over Connie’s dog trying to run over a skunk with your truck. I remember you gave my mom anything she asked for including building her Gospel Barn. I remember how sad you were when mom was dying because for the first time ever you couldn’t fix it for her, or for us. Your infamous sweet tooth...Its so hard to be on a diet if you visit your house where every imaginable cookie, candy bar and donut is on the counter. I remember you threatening my boyfriends when they came to pick me up not to lay a hand on your precious daughter or else. I remember you taking my first serious boyfriend Steve up to fly in your airplane. How good you are to your grandkids, how you gave them all money for their first car. Your generosity is legendary. I remember how you would send care packages to my boys after we moved to Muskogee, boxes fullof every sugared cereal, candy bar and cookie imaginable. Mike would always be furious. The neighborhood kids would see the UPS man pull up and flock to our house to see what you had sent. The many baseball teams you sponsored even though you were 3 hours away. The many times you bought all the candy bars the boys had to sell then gave them back to them to re-sell and make twice the money that way. There is nothing I have ever asked for that you haven’t given me. You have bailed me out of tight situations so many times I have lost count. And always, always, you have had my back. I know that there is nothing you wouldn’t do for me. One of my favorite memories was last year at the Senior Follies when you came to see me perform my standup comedy. To see you laughing was truly gratifying. And afterwards, when you said “I didn’t know you were so funny”..well that was the best compliment ever. You have truly been the best dad I could ask for and I love you with all my heart. Happy Fathers day Daddy. I love you. Your little girl.

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