The moment my dad fell in love with my mom, we became the luckiest people on the planet. He set an example of what characteristics make a good husband, father and life-long friend. His love for family is beyond measure. He gave us experiences that can never be taken away:
From the planning and hosting of huge parties, camping-excursions, and many other enriching projects, he modeled valuable work-ethics: He taught us how to be successful in life.
He taught us that “life is not about how many breaths we take, but about how many moments take our breath away.” An example of a breath taking moment is the vista of Yosemite. It is my favorite because he and mom went up the face of Half Dome together. He taught us bravery and perseverance when we hiked up trails to triumph when we reached the top. He gave us a snap-shot of geography when all four of us stood in the corner of four states. He intrigued us by driving over the Continental Divide and under the Wawona Tree. Because of our dad, we are fortunate to have witnessed the power of geysers and to have seen the majesty of the Grand Tetons. When I was a teen, we gained new found respect for God’s grace and Grizzlies when one moseyed under and around my hammock while I was sleeping!
Here is a man who feared God; my dad feared that he would not survive his first of three neck surgeries; he prayed with all his might to be able to hold his first grand-baby. God blessed him with 29 more years to lift up 11 grandchildren: My daughter who is the first (oldest), all her cousins, as well as his two great-grandchildren, who are my grandchildren.
Nearly every “morning” he sang the sweetest song to all of us that he had learned from his kindergarten teacher, "Good Morning to you; good morning to you. We're all in our places with sun-shiney faces. Good moring to you!" We sing it to his great-grand children; they will likely sing it to his great-great grandchildren. (This song is significant because kindergarten is where he and mom met.)
They were not “ships passing in the night;” they are soul-mates for life! This is his legacy: Love, with all that we have, through the last second of our lives. (He and mom were blessed, perhaps the luckiest couple on earth, to have been able to kissed on his last breath.)
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