15 years ago today we buried my Dad.I have felt a little sad all week and then all of a sudden I realized why.I wonder if it ever gets to where you stop missing them. Oh to just walk out to the garage and see what Dad was making today on his wood working tools. I think of all my family I am more like my dad than anyone. He had a happy spirit and could find the good in anything, a non worrier - for sure-and a person that was as happy in a crowd or alone creating something. I ran across this writing I put in my store newsletter back in 1995 over the holidays and decided I wanted to share our special gift we got from our mom that Christmas....
The Christmas of 95 I received a wonderful present. It wasn't big, expensive, shiny or gold, but it was one of the most precious and most prized gifts I've ever received. It was wrapped with love and devotion -it was a gift that spanned 38 years. As I held my present I sat like any child and wondered to myself what it could be. As I unwrapped it at the same time as my Brother and sister, I felt like we always felt together on Christmas morning-excited and full of expectations. What we unwrapped though we were not ready for. It was beyond our greatest expectations.
Our present was conceived two years ago right after the death of my dad. Mom decided she would make us a quilt from Dads shirts. She tried several times over the last 2 years but couldn't bring herself to do it yet. Then in October when I was away from the store for 5 days she washed the shirts for the last time and together with friends cut and sewed us each a wall size Bow-tie quilt. She could not have done it emotionally without the help of a circle of Quilt friends. She put a label made from his pockets monogrammed with "Mack" the label read " Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a Daddy"
As we opened our boxes and realized what we were holding we could hardly speak. For once again I was looking through tears of favorite shirts my Dad wore- favorites he wore to the store or wood shop and Church. Some we had given him on past Christmases and somehow we felt his presence.
Love and memories came to me Christmas Morning and it was the greatest gift. No gift can compare to the gift of Love. Maybe someday I can look at "Daddy's Shirts" quilt without the tears -but never without the love I feel when I run my fingers over the stitches......
What a special gift that was 14 years ago - I was so blessed to have such wonderful parents. They are together in Heaven now but still very missed on this earth. God is good and every once in a while I feel their precence when my family gets together. Looking down with a smile on their faces......
5 comments:
Love the quilt! Sounds like your parents were truely two amazing people.
what precious memories and precious parents you honor!
oh my goodness - i have such tears in my eyes! i remember many a trip to abilene and going out with josh to see what pappy was working on. what an amazing, amazing man. i did not know about the quilt, but am not surprised that your wonderful mother would come up with something like that. you were blessed with amazing parents who blessed all of us - just as you have done!
An amazing gift. I love the quilt--so sweet. And what a beautiful couple they make!
I remember those days. It was a sweet and sad time at the store, and your precious Mom was always baking something that smelled wonderful. I thought at the time that your family was so much like mine, and I couldn't imagine life without my parents. It has been 7 months since we buried Daddy, and I still have to tell myself this is real. Bless you.
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