Birthdays

My mom posted this photo today, with the caption "He is still making me smile." Yep, even though he took the leap across the Great Divide on Leap Day, we still feel his presence. I was grocery shopping last night, and saw a jar of Taco Bell salsa on the shelf, and I imagined I heard him laugh right next to me.

I loved hearing all the stories about Dad as the family gathered in Kentucky. One of my favorites was in a display at the funeral, a framed printout of a 2007 blog entry by my sister Monica. It was one of which I had only a glimmer of a memory, since I only lived with him for two of his birthdays. (Although I think I might have lived there for the sewing machine birthday.) Just to continue the tribute to this great man, here's the story of the unusual way in which he liked to celebrate his birthday:

"Most children get excited for their own birthday; it's your turn to be lavished with attention and gifts. However, my father's birthdays were more thrilling to me than my own, because he always got exactly what he asked for. SERIOUSLY.

Let me explain. One year it was a new sewing machine for my talented mother. Another year, it was an ice cream maker for the whole family. The best was the year that it was seven blue pairs of roller skates in each size of the children old enough to skate. My parents rolled up the woven rugs, and the entire downstairs of our home became our roller rink for the night! These gifts make perfect sense, because that is my dad--always putting the needs and happiness of others first."

I also was reminded that his favorite flavor ice cream was neapolitan, as there were enough flavors to please (almost) everyone. (One granddaughter admitted she didn't like neapolitan, because the strawberry tainted the chocolate. You can't please everyone!)

There were many stories told of my Dad's selflessness, but this was one of my favorites.