This weekend is definitely one I have mixed feelings about. As Father's Day is right around the corner, invariably my thoughts turn to my dad. Sadly, I never had the chance to share this adventure of publishing my novels with him, but a day never goes by that I don't think of him and wish that he could have known my what future held.
As such, for those of you who are still very lucky and do have a chance to spend Sunday with your dad, here's a few things that always make me think of my dad. Hopefully, this will inspire you to come up with your own list and share it with your dad.
1. Gunsmoke.
My dad absolutely loved that show. I can remember it being on television a lot as I was growing up. In some ways, my dad reminded me of Matt Dillon. I don't think it's a western thing, just a generational thing.
2. Apple Pie
While my father was diabetic in his later years, he never could resist apple pies, not even from McDonalds. Again, I'm guessing that's where I got it from. I can remember every Easter that would always be our desert, and that was just fine for the two of us.
3. Yard Work
Yeah, I know. Strange thing to associate with my father. I used to swear my dad was actually watching the grass grow. When I was a kid, I never quite understood his obsession with green grass free of weeds, but in the last five years, that same obsession has taken hold in me. I don't know if it's because sometimes it's a whole lot easier to pull out weeds than solve problems, but it's pretty relaxing either way.
4. Johnny Cash
In as much as my father watched Gunsmoke, he also listened to Johnny Cash. I can't tell you how many albums my dad probably had when he was growing up. I do know that many, many, many of them were from the Man in Black. Cash was so much a staple of my childhood that when he died two years after my dad, it was like losing another family member.
5. Three Inch Screws
Now I know you're probably thinking I've lost it. Actually, while my dad wasn't the best handyman in the world, (you don't even want to know what happened when he tried to install a television antenna) he was very adamant about whatever he fixed staying fixed. Hence, when he installed light switches or outlet covers, he would use these really long screws. My husband and I have had more than one laugh as we've done improvements to the house and pulled out three inch screws where much shorter ones would have worked. Still, what I can I say. The screws were still in place.
6. Roy Orbison
I'm not a huge Orbison fan. I respect his music, but unlike my father, I typically don't play it. So why does this make me think of my father? Well, I have this Ipod cradle my husband got me for Christmas two years ago, and every so often, instead of playing the music I have just selected, suddenly Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" cuts through the silence. It's always "Only the Lonely." And it always makes me think of my dad.
As such, for those of you who are still very lucky and do have a chance to spend Sunday with your dad, here's a few things that always make me think of my dad. Hopefully, this will inspire you to come up with your own list and share it with your dad.
1. Gunsmoke.
My dad absolutely loved that show. I can remember it being on television a lot as I was growing up. In some ways, my dad reminded me of Matt Dillon. I don't think it's a western thing, just a generational thing.
2. Apple Pie
While my father was diabetic in his later years, he never could resist apple pies, not even from McDonalds. Again, I'm guessing that's where I got it from. I can remember every Easter that would always be our desert, and that was just fine for the two of us.
3. Yard Work
Yeah, I know. Strange thing to associate with my father. I used to swear my dad was actually watching the grass grow. When I was a kid, I never quite understood his obsession with green grass free of weeds, but in the last five years, that same obsession has taken hold in me. I don't know if it's because sometimes it's a whole lot easier to pull out weeds than solve problems, but it's pretty relaxing either way.
4. Johnny Cash
In as much as my father watched Gunsmoke, he also listened to Johnny Cash. I can't tell you how many albums my dad probably had when he was growing up. I do know that many, many, many of them were from the Man in Black. Cash was so much a staple of my childhood that when he died two years after my dad, it was like losing another family member.
5. Three Inch Screws
Now I know you're probably thinking I've lost it. Actually, while my dad wasn't the best handyman in the world, (you don't even want to know what happened when he tried to install a television antenna) he was very adamant about whatever he fixed staying fixed. Hence, when he installed light switches or outlet covers, he would use these really long screws. My husband and I have had more than one laugh as we've done improvements to the house and pulled out three inch screws where much shorter ones would have worked. Still, what I can I say. The screws were still in place.
6. Roy Orbison
I'm not a huge Orbison fan. I respect his music, but unlike my father, I typically don't play it. So why does this make me think of my father? Well, I have this Ipod cradle my husband got me for Christmas two years ago, and every so often, instead of playing the music I have just selected, suddenly Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" cuts through the silence. It's always "Only the Lonely." And it always makes me think of my dad.
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