Happy Birthday to my daddy! He served his country for more than 20 years, retired from two jobs and worked full-time up until just a few months ago. He is my inspiration and gave me a hard-core work ethic and a mind for math… which helps with tinkering with websites I am sure. He helped me raise my oldest son until I found the dad that God intended for all of my boys.
My dad is the sole reason I wanted to be in Shop in high school and JROTC. Yet, he did not want me in either. lol He did not realize how badly I wanted to be just like him.
My dad is the reason I know how to check the oil in a car, fix a running toilet, choose edible plants in the mountains, how to prune tomatoes, and spit-shine my boots after covering them with insta-shine and getting into worlds of trouble with Sgt. Clark.
My dad gave me my first pocket-knife in the fourth grade. It was a Girl Scout knife and I was a bit insulted but he taught me how to first shave soap and later wood because you can’t make a decent marshmallow skewer without that skill. ( I need a Smore every now and then just like most folks.)
I know how I go on and on about how I miss Southern cooking and hospitality but what I really miss every single day when I get up in the morning is my Southern daddy and the young girl he met on leave in Arkansas riding a bus and asking her over and over again…. “What time is it?’ .
My daddy had his conversion on the top of Mary’s Mountain in Turkey. He became Catholic shortly after retiring from the military and allowed me to study music and dance until I chose my path. I chose teaching…. and music with a huge dash of cooking.
He does not care for green dishes but enjoys coffee, a habit from being a Air Force -Air Traffic Controller. He has his momma’s eyes and he and his sister and brother gave me a sense of humor that only my cousins can understand.
Yes, I am in tears. So what. I got the lucky draw in the dad department.
Peace… it is a chosen path… choose it… now.
Pam
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