Remembering

Most people would assume that since today is Remembrance Day that this post would be about a war veteran that I know/knew. However, that is not the case. Although I am very thankful for all of those that have fought for this country, today I remember my father in law. Last September he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and nine short months later, he passed away. We went to his grave site today to see the headstone that had finally been put into place. I forgot to take the camera along, which was unfortunate, since I really wanted to get a picture of it - so instead, words will have to suffice. Dad was a simple man in so many ways, and so is his headstone. A black slab of granite, etched with his name and birth date with the words "Husband - Father - Grandfather" etched along the bottom. Very simple, but so Dad. At the funeral, we read out Dad's 50 Proudest and Happiest Moments - he had written them on Father's Day in response to the 50 reasons he was the best dad ever that we had come up with on his 50th birthday. Today, I would like to share a few of my favorite memories of him:

1. Meeting him for the first time when Jared and I were dating and at university. Meeting the parents of the guy you want to spend the rest of your life with is always intimidating, but Dad made me feel so at ease. He took us to this hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in Edmonton and the food was AMAZING! The conversation was great, and by the end of the evening, I felt like I had known Dad for years.

2. Going to my very first Celebr8 concert (it was the octet that he sang in). I was blown away by how talented they were, and very impressed with Dad's stage presence.

3. The speech that Mom and Dad gave at our wedding when they welcomed me into the family.

4. Hearing all the different songs and genres of music that Dad would listen to. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of music and I love him for it!

5. The corny jokes that he would tell. The rest of the family had been hearing them for so long that none of them found them amusing anymore, but they would still crack me up!

6. Seeing him with Xavier and Shaela when they were first born.

7. The smiles that he would give Shaela even when he was sick and wouldn't smile for much else. She was definitely Grandpa's girl.

8. Seeing the passion he had for his art work and the people that he painted.

9. The "hold your breath under the water while swimming" contest that we had at his hotel in Edmonton on one of his many visits to King's.

10. Our many, many trips to Bird's Hill over the years, whether it was just a day trip to the beach or camping together for the weekend.

Things are definitely not the same without Dad around. We miss you like crazy!!!

Love,
Dana

(to read more of Dad's journey, you can visit the blog owe created while he was sick)