How do you celebrate Father’s Day when your Dad is gone?
I asked Cheri to write a guest post for me for this Sunday…never thinking about the fact it was Father’s Day (I’m trying to ignore it since it’s the first one since my Dad passed…not to mention it’s the day before my birthday, both hard days in terms of not having Dad around anymore). I didn’t ask Cheri to write about my Dad…but she did:
Why So Serious
She flicked off her reading light and the darkness settled across her comforter like an old friend. She never understood why people were afraid of it when night was such a dependable thing, offering the opportunity for solitude and rest sometimes, and promises of passion other times.
Her eyes closed, but she wasn’t sleepy just yet. She remembered him. With her mind’s eye she traced the wrinkles in his face and touched the grey grizzle of his whiskered chin. With her heart she remembered how he was shy and preferred being with his family, but also how he loved to perform with the church choir and theater group.
As she lay there drifting off to sleep, listening to the night sounds through the open window in her room, her heart started to ache a bit. She missed him, and wished again that he were there with her now, especially now. He might not always have known what to say, and if he were there, he might not know what to say even now. But his presence was always steadfast and comforting, and it would be now.
She remembered that he went to see her mother every day when she was no longer able to live in their home, and then she saw him standing at the foot of her bed. She knew then that he came to see her too, every day. They looked quietly at each other, and she was grateful for the gift of knowing his presence, and she wished that she would know it every day as assuredly as she did in that moment.
I can’t tell you how glad I am that I asked Cheri to guest post…because she said what’s in my heart better and more clearly than I ever could. The amazing thing about this is…I only know Cheri from blogging! I’ve never spoken to her, we’ve texted a couple times, but I know her only from reading her blog and from the comments she leaves on mine. Obviously, she’s been reading mine because how else could she have written something so eloquent?
Happy Father’s Day to all you Dads out there…and for those of you that have lost your Dad…I’ll be thinking of you and keeping you in my thoughts. Hugs to you all!
Happy Father’s Day, Dad…I miss you lots.
Posted in Uncategorized | 30 Comments
