Happy Birthday Dad

I woke up to my phone ringing and it was Katie. She has a way of knowing. The night my uncle Jim died, she was pregnant and couldn't sleep so she called me at the crack of dawn to ask me me if everything was okay. Little did she know that Jim had died. I don't know what I'd do without her. Today's my dad's birthday. He would have been 60. He died April 24, 2002. Worst day of my life. I miss him still...and some years on his birthday I do alright. Today is a rough one. I cried on the way to work...thinking of him. His smile, the way he lit up a room when he walked in with his friendly personality and the way he could make anyone laugh. He would tell anyone about Jesus. No fear whatsoever. I talked to him more than anyone else, I'd call him in between classes at the Atrium. He would drive to Raleigh just to have dinner with me on my birthday and turn around and go back to the beach. He was my favorite person. He loved cherry rolls and salmon patties and cheerios. He taught me how to clean a catfish when I was 10. He always told me the truth and would remind me of the right things to do. I remember a thousand little details...I could tell you the way he smelt and the way his hands twitched when he was taking a nap. I miss him. There's things about people, the little things that make them special that you never forget and even become more real to you when someone's gone. The parts that make them irreplaceable. I wish I had a digital photo of him to post...
The selfish part of me would give anything to have him back. I'm thankful for the last day I spent with him, we sat on the pier and talked for a while, we drove down to the waterway to this house he wanted to buy and restore. We went to Mexido Lindos and shared a Margarita (since I had turned 21)...we bought frozen snickers and lottery tickets. We went to hang out with two of his friends at the coast. I'm thankful that the last words he said to me were "I love you ginny rae alley", he gave me a big hug....and then I watched the tail lights of his corvette drive away.
I can rest assured that I'll see him again...but for today, I'm going to let myself be a little sad. What gets me through the day is that I will get to see him again. I know he's with our Savior. And I'm so thankful that the Lord let me get to know my dad the last years of his life. He could have taken him in 1991...and instead I got to know him, learn from him and watch a living example someone living their life for Jesus after being given a second chance. Not saying dad was perfect, but he definitely tried to live for Jesus. Here's to Dad...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBFDlndwhs0