Friday, July 30, 2010

Thanks Daddy


In a continued effort to ensure that I post what was important in June, I cannot miss Father's Day and a tribute post to my Dad.

My Dad instilled a lot of things growing up. Hard work counts. Tradition is important. Family comes first. And of all rules that were repeated, it was the one "sharing, sharing, sharing". This is a bit of a family joke, because really it's a law that derived from the Beaver / Scout movement. In fact, it's a direct lift - but it just became law somehow.

Dad isn't the huggy lovey type, but was the first to tell me how beautiful I looked when we went out. He wasn't the kind of guy who asked about boys, but made sure he listened at the dinner table.

I have fond memories of just him and me time growing up. He owned a gas station, a Chevron - and while I was only two when he sold it, I remember going to the store and hanging out with Joe (the german sheppard). I still love the smell of gasoline. I distinctly remember a night that Mom went out to bridge and Dad, an old car industry friend and I build cardboard boxes for his new autoparts store. I may have been 4 or 5.

The summers always had one "go to work with Dad" day, which meant that we got to drive up to Squamish and Whistler with him. The best part was when we arrived at the Husky Gas station in Whistler - cuz there was a dog there to play with.

We drove home together from the restaurant the night of my 16th birthday - which also contained a fight. There were a few others, those fight things, over the years - but it was always about him looking out for me, right or wrong.
It's funny now to watch how different the rules are. As Dad changes into Grandpa and how lightened and relaxed he is with Kaylee and Braydon. It's nice to see him have the time to play with them - when I was growing up he worked to ensure we had everything. We did.

So thanks Dad - thanks for everything.


3 comments:

Ebbie said...

Aww, what a wonderful tribute to your father :)

Suzanne said...

There's no better blessing than to say you are loved by a great father. Such a nice tribute!

PamelaM said...

There is no question that family values are important to you. Love this entry.