They Say It's Your Birthday!

Today is my father's birthday.  He would be 71 years old.   (Is that right?... 2011-1940.. yeah, that's right.)  The picture above is one of my favorites.  Dad is the one on the right.

 

I've been thinking of him a lot in the past few months.  I think it all started when Mom made the comment that Dad would think her using some of their retirement money on my surgery would be well worth it.  That, of course, made me cry. 

 

Then whenever I was feeling blue, post-op, she'd tell me that she was proud of me, and I'd cry.  She'd tell me that Dad was proud of me, and I'd smile through the tears.  She'd tell me that Sophie and Gizmo were proud of me, and I'd have to laugh at that!

 

There was a gentleman at our church, Lloyd.  He knew and respected Dad.  Lloyd would frequently tell me how much he was praying for my success at the weight loss and that he knew Dad was up in heaven happy for me.  Lloyd passed away last week.   He was like 93 years old, I think, and he'd been going downhill for the past several weeks and his children had to sit by and watch it happen.  I'm grateful that if Dad had to go, he went like he did.  I didn't get a chance to visit Lloyd in the hospital before he died.  I know it's silly, but I wanted to go and visit him and ask him to say "Hi" to Dad for me.

 

Then yesterday evening, I'm sitting at home, logged onto Facebook, killing zombies and I get a notice that one of my friends (not someone I actually know, obviously) posted early birthday wishes to Dad on his Facebook page.  I'm sure I've mentioned that we keep Dad's Facebook page so we (Holly, Haley and I) can log on and have him send us necessary farm or zombie killing supplies.  But this person obviously doesn't know that Dad is no longer physically with us.  I'm looking forward to logging on tonight and finding out how many of his Farm/Zombie "friends" have sent him birthday wishes. 

 

My friend Shawna is like 14 months pregnant and her actual due date is 10/16.  I keep telling her that October 5^th would be a lovely day to have her child, especially since she isn't going to name him Wade, after my father, for me.  (They're going to name it after her husband's grandfather, or something… that's just selfish!)  And then we made lunch plans for tomorrow, so I truly feel that she'll have the baby today (and spoil our lunch plans).  She comes into the office today and tells me that October 5^th is the day of the year with the most babies born on it.  I find that interesting.  I would have thought July 22^nd would've been more popular.

 

Anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble about my Dad.