Wish we had so many more dances together. More fish fries, backyard barbecues, holidays, euchre games, and conversations. Wish you had had a chance to meet your youngest granddaughter, and gotten to know all your grandkids better. Wish we'd had more time...
Rocky. That was my dad. It’s hard to believe he’s been gone for nearly 24 years. I still remember the last time I saw him, hugged him, told him I loved him. I’m thankful for that memory. So many are not given the opportunity to say goodbye.
He obviously had his part in bringing me into this world. I was a surprise to both my parents, but you would never have sensed that from them. I am the baby of the family, and it was quite obvious that I enjoyed the fruits of that birth order.
Of all the encouragers in my life, I would have to say Dad was the first and most vehement of them all. I can’t count the number of times I heard him say, “Sammy, you can do anything, be anything you want to be if you just put your mind to it.” He believed in me with so much passion that I believed him. I might add that there were sometimes a few added expletives in that encouragement. LOL
I think he would be pleased with the life we’ve built. Modern technology and culture would have had him shaking his head and cussing, but sometimes it has me doing the same.
We never had conversations about Jesus or God or anything spiritual - he claimed to be an atheist. But before he left this world, he told me he’d had a talk with my friend upstairs, and that everything was going to be alright. I believed him. Still do. Miss you Dad.