How does one say thank you?
To someone who has been such an important part of who I am? A lot of memories have faded, making room for the more recent happenings. Still, there are those that have not been relegated to the shadows. The memories, like an old time family movie that plays in my heart and mind. The kind that brings a smile and a tear. Not of sadness, but of a type joy that can only be found in family.
My very earliest memory is walking on the foundation of this house as it was built. I remember the fishing trips to that small cow pond in the back of that field. It seemed as if we would walk forever to get there. Cattails and high weeds lined the banks in places, others were muddy from where the cows went into the pond. You taught us how to dig our own worms and how to bait a hook. You taught us how to be quiet while fishing and to watch that bobber as it floated on the water. I'm not sure how well we did at that young age, but you tried. I remember the time coming face to face with the cows and you laughing and telling me they wouldn't hurt me, not to be afraid. You were right as you have been so many times through my life. I remember years later you and mom bought us our own small tackle boxes and took us to a small lake down at the far side of a cemetery not far from town. Some one forgot some thing and mom got in the car to go after it. Not remembering that the tackle boxes were on the back of the car. One was found, the other only a few items were but the most part was gone. I was broken hearted, but I learned, to take care of your things and remember where you put them. All of the lessons learned from those fishing trips have served me well through out life.
I remember a time when you showed us how to take a blade of grass and 'fish' a worm out of its hole in the ground in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house. That and finding the doodle bugs in their inverted diamond shaped home built in the sand. Small moments.
You taught us responsibility when you were breeding Pointers. You were working out of town and someone had to take care of them. While the most of the work fell on mom, we were given small parts to take care of. I remember that horse of a dog named Mike. Sweet Bo-Peep and the others. There always seemed to be a dog of some sort here. We learned how to care for a living creature and how that being loved us in return.
You gifted us with a wild, weird, and often misunderstood sense of humor. Each of us have a slightly different way of using it but its still the same. We get odd looks, we get the intended results, we get crazy when we're all together. How blessed we are that we have this gift that come from you.
You played a large part in my imagination. I am the daughter of a fisherman, what better person to develop the art of story telling?
I remember all of those times I felt inconvenienced when you would be sitting in the living room watching a race on television, listening to a ball game on one radio and some other sporting event on another and you'd ask me to make you a sandwich. Of course what ever it was that I was doing at the time was more important to me at the time. Or at least I thought so. Now, I'm glad for the memories and cherish them all.
You took an empty field that was overgrown and almost useless (save the imaginary adventures) and turned it into a small softball field. That line from the movie, "If you build it, they will come" could have started with that field. We had neighbors coming out to play often. We chased balls down the hill, we dug through poison oak, we laughed, we visited, we had a grand time.
Vacations were always an adventure. Alligators in the water in Florida. Severe storms taking out the power in Georgia- as well as roller coasters bringing terror to the youngest among us. That million mile high suspension bridge that most could cross in minutes that took me a life time (thanks mom for staying patient with me).
Living those times in Florida and finding adventures in the things there. Giant trees, ant hills, possibly rabid possum. Sand so hot you couldn't walk barefoot, but so much sand shoes quickly weighed a ton. Watching from under a mobile- out of the hot sun- as a rocket was fired off from the space center and watching that silver vehicle head for the sky.
We've had those growing up moments of teen angst, minor rebellions. Wrecked cars, broken windows and bull bats attacking. We've cried, we've laughed, and we've fought. But through it all, through every single moment those remembered and those faded by time and distance- we've loved. And from now and through eternity.. we will always love.
Thank you Pop, I love you.
To someone who has been such an important part of who I am? A lot of memories have faded, making room for the more recent happenings. Still, there are those that have not been relegated to the shadows. The memories, like an old time family movie that plays in my heart and mind. The kind that brings a smile and a tear. Not of sadness, but of a type joy that can only be found in family.
My very earliest memory is walking on the foundation of this house as it was built. I remember the fishing trips to that small cow pond in the back of that field. It seemed as if we would walk forever to get there. Cattails and high weeds lined the banks in places, others were muddy from where the cows went into the pond. You taught us how to dig our own worms and how to bait a hook. You taught us how to be quiet while fishing and to watch that bobber as it floated on the water. I'm not sure how well we did at that young age, but you tried. I remember the time coming face to face with the cows and you laughing and telling me they wouldn't hurt me, not to be afraid. You were right as you have been so many times through my life. I remember years later you and mom bought us our own small tackle boxes and took us to a small lake down at the far side of a cemetery not far from town. Some one forgot some thing and mom got in the car to go after it. Not remembering that the tackle boxes were on the back of the car. One was found, the other only a few items were but the most part was gone. I was broken hearted, but I learned, to take care of your things and remember where you put them. All of the lessons learned from those fishing trips have served me well through out life.
I remember a time when you showed us how to take a blade of grass and 'fish' a worm out of its hole in the ground in front of Grandma and Grandpa's house. That and finding the doodle bugs in their inverted diamond shaped home built in the sand. Small moments.
You taught us responsibility when you were breeding Pointers. You were working out of town and someone had to take care of them. While the most of the work fell on mom, we were given small parts to take care of. I remember that horse of a dog named Mike. Sweet Bo-Peep and the others. There always seemed to be a dog of some sort here. We learned how to care for a living creature and how that being loved us in return.
You gifted us with a wild, weird, and often misunderstood sense of humor. Each of us have a slightly different way of using it but its still the same. We get odd looks, we get the intended results, we get crazy when we're all together. How blessed we are that we have this gift that come from you.
You played a large part in my imagination. I am the daughter of a fisherman, what better person to develop the art of story telling?
I remember all of those times I felt inconvenienced when you would be sitting in the living room watching a race on television, listening to a ball game on one radio and some other sporting event on another and you'd ask me to make you a sandwich. Of course what ever it was that I was doing at the time was more important to me at the time. Or at least I thought so. Now, I'm glad for the memories and cherish them all.
You took an empty field that was overgrown and almost useless (save the imaginary adventures) and turned it into a small softball field. That line from the movie, "If you build it, they will come" could have started with that field. We had neighbors coming out to play often. We chased balls down the hill, we dug through poison oak, we laughed, we visited, we had a grand time.
Vacations were always an adventure. Alligators in the water in Florida. Severe storms taking out the power in Georgia- as well as roller coasters bringing terror to the youngest among us. That million mile high suspension bridge that most could cross in minutes that took me a life time (thanks mom for staying patient with me).
Living those times in Florida and finding adventures in the things there. Giant trees, ant hills, possibly rabid possum. Sand so hot you couldn't walk barefoot, but so much sand shoes quickly weighed a ton. Watching from under a mobile- out of the hot sun- as a rocket was fired off from the space center and watching that silver vehicle head for the sky.
We've had those growing up moments of teen angst, minor rebellions. Wrecked cars, broken windows and bull bats attacking. We've cried, we've laughed, and we've fought. But through it all, through every single moment those remembered and those faded by time and distance- we've loved. And from now and through eternity.. we will always love.
Thank you Pop, I love you.
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