6 years

Yesterday marked my Dad's death date.  I can't believe that it's been 6 years now since he died.  Every year I like to do something to remember him or honor him.  A tribute.  I ususally just end up eating some M&M's, or marshmallows, think of all the good memories I have of him, and tell him I love him.   This year I decided to write an Acrostic poem about him.

Vacations, oh the places we would go!  Some favorites were Lake Powell, Disneyland, Mesa Verde, Moab’s National parks, Yellow Stone, and Cancun Mexico.  My Dad loved to see the world.  I’m thankful that he took our family to see these incredible places.

Adventures, galore!  Many were risky, but that made it fun!  Poking a napping rattlesnake with a stick to see what it would do.  He wanted to poke an alligator in Florida.  “Absolutely not” his wife Alice said. Hiked up to a high up glacier in the Uintah Mountains and sliding down it with the family.  He wanted to touch and see all of the creatures of the Ocean while scuba diving, even the ones that he couldn’t see.  He loved to poke and prod.    

Neon hats and biker shorts were his style.  A neon pink hat will never be forgotten.  He wanted to pet an elephant at the Hogle Zoo.  He took off that pink hat and waved from side to side.  The elephant saw it and started to walk to him.  The elephant was quicker than my dad.  He grabbed the hat with its trunk and started to eat it.  The next thing we know the elephant starts to hack.  It was choking on the hat.  We all moved away from my Dad.   Finally the elephant coughs the hat up.  The hat is in shreds.  Oh man we were so worried that we would hear on the news in the morning elephant chokes on florescent pink hat and dies.  Thank goodness the elephant lived and was fine.

Kotter standard time.  Late, need I say more?

Ingenious mind.  He could get you out of a pickle.

Married to his sweetheart Alice.

Oodles of goodies, Marshmallows, Hershey kisses, and M& M’s were his favorites.

Knowledgeable and a kind leader.  The Young Men absolutely loved him.  They tried their hardest to get a rise out of him, but he never reacted.  He was patient. 

Oldest brother to six brothers.   Oh the energy level in that house.  Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Teasing was one of his hobbies.  He was very good at it.  He would always try to blow your candles out when it was your birthday.  He would grab your big toe, pinky toe, or ponytail and tell you not to move.  The list could go on and on with the ways that he could tease you.  If he teased you then you knew you were loved.  My Dad teased me a lot!

Talking he was good at it.  He could talk to anybody it didn’t matter who they were.  He was very friendly.  I remember going into some convenience store.  A young girl was the cashier.  When he went to pay he starts talking with the girl.  I remember him asking her what kind of computer the store was using. The poor girl didn’t have a clue, and tried to respond.  If you could have seen the look on her face it was priceless.  My Dad was a good computer salesman so he asked this question a lot.  I just think it’s funny that he would always ask these teenagers that had no clue.    

Eating the forbidden blackberries at Alcatraz.  My Mom and Dad came out to visit us when Matt and I were stationed at Travis AFB in California.  One of the things we did was go see Alcatraz.  One of the rules is to not eat the blackberries.  Sometime during our tour Matt, my Mom, and I got separated from my Dad.  When we found him he was eating the blackberries.

Running around the block pushing a huge steel wheel barrel with 1 or 2 kids in stow.  We loved it, and couldn’t get enough. 

I often think about my Dad.  I wonder if he is okay.  I wonder if he misses us like we miss him.  I wonder what he is doing in heaven.  I wonder what it would be like to see him again.  I wonder if he had been in his right mind set and had not taken his own life if he would be happy today.  I wonder if he had not made that choice where he and my Mom would be.  Where the rest of us kids and families would be. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I'm strong.  I love my Dad.  I'm thankful for the good memories that I have of him.