Father's Day

[Cookiely]

Dear Papa,
I miss your smile. I miss your helpful advice. I miss your hugs and the feel of your work worn hands in mine. I miss you reading all the ads on Sunday morning. I miss your stories. I miss your green eyes glittering in anger at an injustice. I miss your generosity. I miss our debates. I miss your strength, but most of all I miss your love.
William Edward Christie
Born August 3,1929
Died August 11,1994

[sunny]

This is so touching, Cookiely. I lost my dad 27 years ago to lung cancer. He was 44. He was the best man I ever knew and I still miss him to this day. Happy Father's Day Pop! I love you.

[Cookiely]

This is so touching, Cookiely. I lost my dad 27 years ago to lung cancer. He was 44. He was the best man I ever knew and I still miss him to this day. Happy Father's Day Pop! I love you.

Holidays are difficult. Perhaps others can share their thoughts also if they have lost their father. I'm sorry you lost your father when he was so young.

[sunny]

Thank you.

You are right, this can be difficult for some of us. It's good to express that sometimes. I was a "daddy's girl"! My dad was the strong, silent type. Country boy, from Mississippi. He liked Archie Manning because he was "good ole' boy from Mississippi". Shortly before he went into the coma, Archie came to the hospital and spent two hours with my dad talking about nothing but Mississippi!

One of my favorite memories of my parents is watching them dance to "Walk Through This World With Me" by George Jones. I still smile when I think of that.

[streetsoldier]

I have a set of WW II/Cold War ribbons, rank, and a Distinguished Flying Cross to remind me of Dad...gone 6 years now.

[Cookiely]

I have a set of WW II/Cold War ribbons, rank, and a Distinguished Flying Cross to remind me of Dad...gone 6 years now.

My condolences to you streetsoldier on the loss of your father. It sounds like he was a very brave man.

[vbhoutex]

This will be a tough Father's day for our family as now both my father and my wifes father are gone since my FIL passed in March. My dad has been gone almost 6.5 years now, but we all still miss him. Losing Susan's dad has heightened those feelings again. Tonight we had a dedication of the new sanctuary at our church. A fitting tribute to my FIL is that the communion ware we used tonight was donated by the family in his memory. He was an elder in our church for many years and highly respected. We will miss them both forever, but are secure in the fact they are in a much better place.

We love you both!!! Happy Father's Day!!!

[streetsoldier]

I have a set of WW II/Cold War ribbons, rank, and a Distinguished Flying Cross to remind me of Dad...gone 6 years now.

My condolences to you streetsoldier on the loss of your father. It sounds like he was a very brave man.

Cookiely,

He didn't make any pretense about "heroic" at all...all he wanted was to be a musician/bandleader (which he was, before and after WW II), even while holding a USAF Reserve commission until 1957. Only within the last few years of his life did he permit the local paper to inquire about his service for an article, and that but briefly.

He did get a "kick" out of seeing himself playing his accordion in a film while he was in England, at a "pub" near his air base at Nottingham before D-Day (06 JUNE 1944). This was in a series called "Winston Churchill: The War Years", shown on TV back in the 60's. He didn't notice the cameraman.

[weatherlover427]

My dad is in heaven too, so I miss him dearly, especially on days like today. I stll have my grandpa on my mom's sde though (thankfully ), and I still have all my uncles on her side as well.

[Miss Mary]

What a true comfort this thread is to those of us that have fathers in Heaven. My dad passed away in 1988 and I was a daddy's little girl, thru and thru. My parents had 2 sons and 1 daughter, and I was the baby of the family. You can see that my dad spoiled me a little. He was diagnosed with cancer and gone within 5 weeks. I never really had the chance to say all the things to him I wanted to, but he knew how I felt. Growing up my parents were miserable together and finally divorced in 1975. My mother tried poisoning her children's minds with constant put-downs and criticisms of our father. He was a good guy, BTW, putting up with a mean, crabby lady. Sorry, but on a day like this boy do I ever appreciate the kind parent my dad was (won't go there about how I feel about my mom). We had a 2 hour funeral service with a blessing from a Priest (dad hadn't been to church in decades). Immediate family remained behind before the casket was closed, for one final goodbye. Prior to this I was able to smile and laugh, thru the tears while many of his friends and siblings told funny stories about him. Suddenly I realized this was going to be the very last time I'd 'see' my dad and I would not budge. I could not leave the side of the casket. I was having an instant breakdown, I was hysterical. I will admit it now. Everyone tried reasoning with me - the Priest, my husband, my brothers, my mom (who I did not want to look at) and no one was getting thru to me. The funeral directors I know had seen scenes like this so they looked on very sympatically. What happened next will give you goose bumps. My brother with children walked back to his wife and 2 young daughters, to decide what to do. Suddenly his 12 year girl, named Kara, just left her dad's side, walked right over to me, putting her arms around me and laying her head on my chest. Then she pulled slightly away, looked up into my eyes and merely said - oh, Aunt Mary.

That was all it took and I was fine. I looked down at this sweet child and said to everyone - I'm okay now.

I will never forget her kind gesture that day and tell her many times how sweet that was to do. Instinct her dad said since he didn't tell her to do that.

I miss ya Dad - more than you can ever know.

Thanks for starting this thread - it was just what I needed today. To my fellow S2K family members who have lost their dads also, you have my sympathies and gentle thoughts coming your way today.

Mary

[azskyman]

May both a warm hand from heaven and those among friends here at S2k remind you that your dads are ok...that the time was well spent, and that in spite of your losses, your lives are better for the memories.

My dad, God bless him, is still around at 90 and we talk every week. And while I lost my mom 34 years ago, the two of us have remained close through all these years.

He taught me to appreciate the sky...not just for its beauty, but for its silence in a snowstorm, its smell before a rain, and the wonderful cooling breeze ahead of a thunderstorm on a warm summer afternoon.

In part he brought me here to S2k through those lessons of wonderful importance.

Those of you without fathers on this day are blessed for reasons similar to mine. He is not gone, just out of sight, around the corner, and waiting for you to say out loud "Happy Father's Day, dad!"

[Cookiely]

May both a warm hand from heaven and those among friends here at S2k remind you that your dads are ok...that the time was well spent, and that in spite of your losses, your lives are better for the memories.

My dad, God bless him, is still around at 90 and we talk every week. And while I lost my mom 34 years ago, the two of us have remained close through all these years.

He taught me to appreciate the sky...not just for its beauty, but for its silence in a snowstorm, its smell before a rain, and the wonderful cooling breeze ahead of a thunderstorm on a warm summer afternoon.

In part he brought me here to S2k through those lessons of wonderful importance.

Those of you without fathers on this day are blessed for reasons similar to mine. He is not gone, just out of sight, around the corner, and waiting for you to say out loud "Happy Father's Day, dad!"

Thank you so much for those beautiful and healing words.