The Best Father's Day Gift

I can only remember one Father's Day gift I gave to Daddy when I was a child. Our elementary teachers always had us make Mother's Day presents for our moms, and one year one of them had us make Father's Day gifts before the end of the school year. I don't remember which teacher it was and I don't mean to insult whoever it was, but it was a pretty lame gift. We took 2 paper plates and cut the centers out of them. Then we glued the two plates together, facing each other. Next we took different colors of yarn and wrapped them around the plates, outside to center, outside to center, all around the plate. I know mine sported about 10 different colors of yarn. Any guesses as to what this fabulous present was? Give up? It was a tie rack of course! It was hideous. At least mine was. I remember making it, but honestly don't remember Daddy's reaction to it. But his ties always were kept in his dresser drawer, so I don't think the fabulous tie rack I made him was ever used. In case you are wondering, I am not in the least bit offended.

On the first Father's Day after Daddy died, I received a Father's Day gift. Understandably, I was feeling a bit down that day. That morning, Lauren came to me and told me that she'd had a dream shortly after Grandpa died and she just remembered it and wanted to tell me about it. She went on to say that in her dream, we were all in the kitchen at the farm and Grandpa was there. He was able to walk better than Lauren had ever seen him walk in her life...no walker or cane to help him. And she described in detail to me what he was wearing: a tan fishing hat with lures on it, a tan shirt and blue pants. She said that she asked Grandpa what his job in Heaven was and he never really told her, but she assumed from the way he was dressed that his job was fishing. He talked to everyone and said he couldn't stay long. He talked to Grandma last and then left through the kitchen door. I was so touched by her recollection of the dream and by the fact that Father's Day was the day she remembered to tell me. She still remembers the details of her dream today. I'm pretty certain that was the one and only Father's Day gift I will ever receive. And I will cherish it forever.

Father's Day 2011, was on June 19. Eric was at home with our kids. I talked with Danielle on the phone and told her to tell Eric what we had in mind to get him for Father's Day. I'd been a little preoccupied to actually get the kids out to buy the gift. Eric got the kids to church that morning and got Danielle sent off on her mission trip to Rockford, Illinois. We knew that it was likely that Mother would die before Dani's week long mission trip was over. But she really wanted to go and had said her good-byes to Grandma. We figured being with other kids and leaders from church was a great place for her to be. We also had talked to the leaders about it and they'd wonderfully agreed to meet Eric part way if we needed to get Dani home for a funeral before the week was up. What I didn't anticipate was that Grandma would be gone before Dani ever made it to Rockford. I remember being pretty strong when I talked to both Eric and my brother Charlie on the phone to let them know Mother was gone. But leaving the message for mission trip leader, Matt, brought me to tears. From what I heard later, Dani handled the news pretty well and it helped for her to be surrounded by her friends.

After Mother died, several of us kids (at different times and without knowing another had already said the same thing) commented that Daddy had just gotten the best Father's Day gift ever. He had gotten Mother back again. That thought made the pain of losing her a little more bearable for us. I can guarantee that he liked that Father's Day gift better than the yarn wrapped, paper plate tie rack I'd given him years before.

Happy 3rd Father's Day in Heaven Daddy! I hope you have a great day of fishing.