A Tribute

I wrote something to be read last night at the Vigil/Visitation. I thought some of you who couldn't be here might like to read it.

There is no way to summarize my Dad in a few sentences. But if you’ve been reading my blog, you might know a little more about Daddy than you did before this summer. He was an exceptional man.

With my father, I wanted for nothing. Dad was always there for me in both body and spirit, showing me by his living example what it was like to be a father and a husband, that it was possible for a man to show tenderness, to be unafraid of open affection with his children, and to be a loving husband. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would hold your hand and get involved in big public displays of affection but he would give you a quick hug or squeeze your shoulder. With Eli, though, there were no boundaries. He would openly nuzzle his neck, whisper in his ear, read books with him under the table, hold his hand and even sing to him. They were great buddies, my Dad and Eli.

It is impossible to speak of my father without also speaking of my mother, because they were one. Together, they showed me what true love was like, taught me what a marriage should be. What an awesome example they’ve shown.

As a child, he'd laugh at my temper-tantrums, he'd put a tissue in the back of his pants and hop around the house like the Easter bunny, and he would sing to me in the mornings if I didn’t get out of bed fast enough. When we were little, he built us the coolest play house. It was really tall because he didn’t want to cut the 12 foot timbers! I also remember that he smashed his thumb and left a trail of blood into the house from the driveway that day. He would also take us to school when there was a little bit of rain and say that we might ‘melt’ otherwise!

When we were in college, he drove to Austin/San Marcos just to take us to lunch. I know it made for a really long day for him but I loved having the extra time with him and my brother. We drove to East Texas a couple of years in a row to cut down our own Christmas tree and it was just the two of us. After being at school for a few months, it was great to catch up with Daddy and spend that time together. He was also available for a weather forecast whenever I needed one. I loved being able to call him during the day and ask him for the latest weather update. In college, I took to calling him by the name of a tv forecaster since he was so great at that job.

As an adult, I will remember how he had a 17 second commute from one end of the house to the other. He was instrumental in my decision to change careers and begin teaching. Dad would always meet the repairmen at my house – as long as I left a check on the counter to pay for the repairs. My dad had a great sense of humor. He was always ready with a new anecdote or joke to share. He was a voracious reader. If I ever had a question about something, he always had answers because he'd read an article or a book recently about it.

I’ll always remember how enamored he was with his first grandchild and his constant use of the word "dynamo" when describing Eli. Daddy couldn’t stand to hear Eli cry so we would often hear that Eli napped in Daddy’s arms rather than his crib at my parents’ house.

Just last week, he pointedly told us “I love you.” It turns out that those were the last words he spoke to us. Maybe he knew the end was near and maybe he just wanted to remind us how much he loved us. Either way, I’m glad he made the effort to remind us how much he cared for us that one last time.

Dad, I love you. Always have. Always will.

Thank you to Mrs. Weynand for reading that for me. I know I couldn't have read it myself (too much crying) and you did a perfect job. Did anyone tell you that you have great reading fluency?

Thanks to everyone else who has sent food, flowers, cards; everyone who has said a prayer for Daddy and for us; everyone who came last night and will come today; thanks for your unending love and hugs; We appreciate you all.

And, to those of you who keep asking what you can do for us: please keep asking us and checking on us. We aren't sure what we'll need in the coming months as we look for our 'new normal.'


I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.
-Isaiah 42:16