Thinking of my Dad today...

and missing him so much. There is never a day that I don't think and miss him, but there are some when it just seems like he is every where I look. I miss him most in the fall. I'm not sure why, I'm guess partly because these are the days before he died. I step outside and the sun is shining brightly, skies crystal clear blue, with a slight breeze blowing and I think of the day that Tish and I had come to visit him in the hospital. He wanted to go outside and I was so glad to see him looking okay. It was such a beautiful day and it was almost half normal sitting outside with him in the warm sun, forgetting just for a second that a terrible disease was killing my Daddy. We talked and laughed and it was nice. But that isn't the only memory of my Dad in the fall. I remember going to his house on the lake on days like today. Lazy Sundays, taking the girls down for a ride on the pontoon boat. The lake was gorgeous in autumn, the sun reflecting in the water, everyone out enjoying the last few warm days on the lake. Watching Dad as he let the girls take turns driving the boat. Priceless. But go back further in my book of memories and fall still stands out with my Dad. We grew up in the mountains and many a fall day we would just pack a picnic (sub sandwiches of course), load up in the van and drive up the Blue Ridge parkway and hike the trails until we found a place to lunch. We would just sit and talk and enjoy the beauty around us. Nothing extraodinary, but those were great days just being together. The thing is, I probably took all those days for granted back then. Never realizing what meaning they would hold for me today. Yeah, I always miss my Dad, but on days like today, the pain of him being gone tears at my heart and soul and I would give anything to have one more day like today to share with him. I love you, Dad.