“Hey Horse!” Oh, what I would give to hear those words again today. You see, there has only been 1 person in my life who greeted me that way, my Dad. Today, if our Father was still alive, he would be celebrating his 90th birthday. Today is very close to the 14th year we have missed seeing him, hearing him and enjoying our time with him.
He died on February 18, 1998 just one week after his 76th birthday. Dad never looked his age. When he was 76, he could have passed for a much younger man, maybe even 50. Though I never saw him in his 20s, he actually may have looked older than his age then because he became balding as a very young man. I never knew my Dad with hair. What he did have was an amazing energy and enthusiam for life. He related to people as well as anyone I have ever known. He was one of those people, I call “larger than life.”
I miss him terribly. He was always there for me when I needed him. If I needed someone to discuss a tough issue with, he was one of the best. He listened carefully, weighed out what the best response was, and he shared his thoughts with you with great passion and enthusiasm. He told you what you “needed” to hear not necessarily what you wanted to hear. You always knew you could count on him for that. Actually, I always knew I could count on him period. That was the kind of man he was, the kind of father and the kind of friend. As he taught me, to have a friend, you needed to be a friend. He was indeed a good friend.
I don’t know why he so often greeted me with, “Hey horse”, but to hear him say those words again would be music to my ears today. They were words that meant a great deal to me then. They meant a lot then and even more now. I cherish them and often close my eyes and imagine I hear him saying them again. We all need to have someone in our lives that when we hear them speak it soothes our souls.
Today as we celebrate his birthday without him with us, it hurts deeply. I miss him more than I can describe. I would love for him to see our family today…to see our oldest daughter, Heath and her adopted little girl, Neema. He would love it so much that she was close to becoming a “teacher”, a profession he loved and did so well in. He would admire her going back for her Masters as he once did. He would love to see our son, Will who has become a fine young man with such wisdom and compassion for others. I can imagine them sitting alone and sharing stories together that would last for a life time. Will's sensitivity for people would touch my Dad's heart. I am sure he would be so amazed by our youngest daughter Mary Sims, with her quick mind and wit, and passion for life. He would have wonderful words of wisdom for her as well. Her fiery spirit and leadership skills would be traits he could easily relate to. Dad would be so proud of all of our children. Most of all, he would have so much love for them.
I have often wished he could see Elizabeth and me as we truly became parents together. She gave me “her” 2 children to love as if they were my own. Somehow, we have become "one together." Elizabeth gave us a 3rd child and sister that became glue to bond us all together perhaps even deeper than before. Dad was alive to witness some of this, but he missed seeing us grow so close to one another. Dad would love to see the way we loved one another. He would enjoy seeing how much our children have taught me about how to be a better man and father. Thank you, Heath, Will and Mary Sims. Thank you, most of all, Elizabeth -without your love, devotion and the gift of our children, I would not be part of the most cherished part of my life, our family.
Happy Birthday, Dad. I wish you were here to share the day and life with us. Without you, I would not even have a life. I look forward to my 1st day in eternity sharing it with you. Until then, I have much to do here to live life to the fullest the way you taught us all to do. In the meantime, I will close my eyes from time to time and imagine I can hear your wonderful voice say, “Hey Horse.” If I am really still I believe I can actually hear you speak…
No comments:
Post a Comment