Unfortunately, tomorrow is the four year anniversary of my dad’s passing. My sister and I have dubbed it “The Suckiest Day of the Year.” I can scarcely believe it’s been that long and yet it still feels like only yesterday I was eating Mexican food with him and my stepmom the week after St Patty’s Day.
I write a post about losing him every year just as a reminder to you all, and to myself, to tell your friends and family how much you love them. You never know when you’ll have the opportunity again.
In today’s Thankful Thursday I want to say thank you to all of the parents out there. I don’t want to make anyone sad today and I just want to show my appreciation for the wonderful parents I was blessed with.
I am so fortunate to have a mom who I know would do anything for me. Hell, she’s taken me to and from the airport so many times and everyone knows how much it sucks being the airport taxi. She also always buys me what I want for Christmas and birthdays. She makes it a point to get me specifically what I want. I know sometimes people just buy stuff at random, but her gifts are always spot on. And even though I usually roll my eyes at her off color jokes, I usually do find them pretty funny. Plus, who else’s mom would pick them up at a bar at 3 AM any night of the week without even batting an eye? She is the person who taught me the most about being strong and self sufficient. She also had the extremely difficult task of telling my sister and I that our dad passed. I can only imagine how hard that was for her. Thank you Mom. I love you.
In addition to my kick ass mom, I’ve got the world’s best stepmom. She’s so awesome in fact, that Caribbean Steve met her and gave her that nickname. I’ve often seen the “wicked stepmom” thing played out in numerous TV shows and movies and it’s just not the case with me. She and my dad married when I was little and she’s been such a huge part of my life that I hate to use the term stepmom because of the negative connotation it sometimes carries. She’s more a friend to me and I can turn to her when I am missing my dad because I know she is too. Thank you Jackie. I love you.
And as for my dad, well he was the archetypal father. He was smart and funny, strong and wise, and could whistle like nobody’s business. I’m pretty sure that whistling thing is a pre-requisite for fatherhood. I get my passion (mine for running and his for motorcycles) and competitiveness from him. I also got his sensitivity and dry sense of humor. I miss him everyday and I know how much he loved me. Thank you Dad. I love you.
Thus today, I am thankful for parents. None of us would be here without them and it’s so important to let them know how much you appreciate them. If I ever have children I can only hope to be as good a parent as mine have been to me.
So what are you thankful for today?
Thank you for inspiring me to make a few phone calls today 🙂
Thinking of you today..
Today I'm thankful for Euflexxa injections.
(ps i was acutely aware of the anniversary of my dad's death too. blah. why can't we block those things out of our memory?)
I did not know this about you, but I can understand. I lost my dad over 10 years ago and it is easier but he is always with me.
You have my email if you want to vent. I know where you are coming from.
I'm thankful for you giving me an emotional kick-in-the-pants today. Going through some issues at home, and this gave me some much-needed perspective on what's really important on the family front. Thanks.
It's never easy to lose someone and the pain enevr really goes away. It's good to take that pain and use it as a reminder to cherish those close to you though. Thanks for the reminder.
Great post. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be a mom and while I am not perfect, I do my best to
1: tell them I love them a gazillion times a day
2. tell them they can do anything in the world they want too.
3: let them be who they are.
This is a wonderful tribute to your father and to both of your mothers. It is such a blessing to have supportive, loving parents. I'll keep you in my thoughts tomorrow. I'm also going to tell my parents how thankful I am for them.
what a beautiful post. My parents are the world to me and I don't know how I'd survive without them. I just spoke with my Dad, who's driving an hour to pick my sister and her kids up from the airport today and then me tomorrow night, so we can celebrate my Grandma's 90th Birthday. I never send an email or finish a call with my parents without telling them I love them, for the exact reason you mentioned. I never leave my husband without telling him. It's such an important thing to do.
Take care and be with those you love tomorrow. Your Dad will always be with you!
Sending big hugs to you. Anniversaries are so hard. This week, I'm especially thankful for my siblings. Life sucks sometimes, and I don't know what I'd do if I had to go through it all by myself.
What a great post! I'm so sorry about your dad, but you are remembering him and honoring him in a great way. I'll be thinking about you!
*Big hug for you*
I am thankful for my daughter. 🙂 She is spunky and has an amazing personality. And she motivates me every day to be a better person.
amazing that you have such great parents. so sorry for the loss of your dad, it sounds like he was fantastic. and thanks for the reminder, it's so easy to forget that it's important to let them know.
*hugs*
And I'm thankful for having two healthy parents who are incredible.
Nice post. My father passed March 8, 2006. When I race the Heart Mini Marathon, I run it for him.