Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Where do I even begin to describe my Dad? He touched so many lives in different ways - even as a complete stranger who was never shy to strike up a conversation no matter the environment. I remember cleaning his bus; he took such pride in keeping it clean for the kids. I remember horseback riding together and all of the animals he let me have. Animals were also very precious to him, especially horses. I remember many a trip on the mail route, having to stop at each store (the Pepsi store, the Sausage store, and the Ice Cream store). He declared he'd go broke if he had to always take me along - lol. I remember, too, picking brown-eyed susans and tiger lilies on the mail route to take home for Mom. I remember him carrying me when I was little; I felt so safe in my Dad's strong arms. And he used to tell me bedtime stories, especially The Three Bears. Then one night I started correcting him, and he told me it was time for me to tell the story to him instead. He loved to sing, especially Ukrainian Christmas carols. I hope Mom still has all of the caroling song sheets he kept carefully tucked away. And he loved "When Darkness Is Falling by Boney M"; he asked me to write out many copies of it so we could add that to our repertoire as well. There just isn't enough room here to share all of my happy memories. But I can say how incredibly blessed I am to have had a Dad as wonderful, loving, and alive as mine. I can't wait until I get to heaven to dance the heel-toe with him again.
