Thankful Thursday - Dad

Below is a post I wrote in March of 2016.  It is about my dad and his passing away on February 16th of that year.  I never posted it because I had tried to attach a video and I could never get it to work.  That and then the fact that I was just starting the year of cancer and all, I just never finished it.  I always wanted to because I did one for my mom and my brother.    Today I was looking at the few drafts of posts that I have started and never posted and read this post.  I had forgotten about the dream that I wrote about below.  I'm so thankful that I never deleted it.  Today, I'm posting it for Thankful Thursday as I'm so thankful for my dad and all he meant to me in my life.  I still don't have the video working, but I'm posting a few pictures of him and if I ever get the video to work right, maybe I'll add it to this post some day.

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Dad passed away on February 16th around 11:30-11:45 am. I was in the hospital having my port installed, so I was not there. However, my 2 sisters and sister-in-law were there with him.

I had a dream that morning before I went to the hospital. I was walking into dad's room to see him and I could hear my sister talking to someone. There was someone there on or by the bed that I could see from the back. Her hair was white, so I thought it was my mom's mom. However, as I walked around the bed, I could see her face and it was my mom with her face up by dad. I woke up then and knew that this was the day dad was going home. And within a few hours he was gone.

My dad was a special man. He could do anything he put his mind to. He built and remodeled homes. He sold realty. He was a floor mechanic for many years running a flooring business with his brothers. He and mom ran a used furniture store for many years too. He was a fantastic cook (as was mom). He was always there for each of us kids whenever we needed something. Whether it be advice, some kind of work done on our houses or whatever. In fact, if it weren't for dad, Tracy and I wouldn't be living in the house we are. Dad built it for us.

Dad loved to sing too. Besides helping people, I'd have to say, singing was one of his most favorite things in the world. He loved all the old hymns, and southern gospel quartet music. Towards the end of his life when he had lost so much, he still could sing the words to the old songs he loved.

When Mom and Dad married, she was only 17 and he was 22. They both had the same birthday and they got married on their birthday. Last year on June 3rd, they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary and their 82nd and 87th birthdays. Mom would always joke that she married Dad to get off the farm and he said he married her because she knew how to do the farm work. lol

Eventually, when I was a freshman in high school, they bought a small farm. Dad was able to have a few cows and chickens and pigs and horses and sheep and turkeys, etc. The one thing Mom was always responsible for when growing up was milking the cows with her older brother. She never wanted to do that again. Well, for about a year or so on that little farm, Dad had a milk cow. Mom told him she, would take care of the milk, make butter or anything else, but she would never milk that cow, even if it's udders burst. And you know what, she never did!! But she did all the rest without ever a complaint.

I have always known, no matter what, I could go to Mom and Dad with any problem. They always listened and they always tried to give good advice. I appreciate all the help they've given me and my family through all these years.

Here are a couple of pictures of my dad.

God thank you for my dad and all the years I had with him.