It's Father's Day and, once again, my dad is not here to be with us. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 51 ... cancer took him from us.
There's a country song by Diamond Rio called "One More Day" ... and everytime I hear that song I think of my dad. It's been years since death took him away and, yet, a word or song or thought can bring me to my knees as I continue to feel the loss of a man I admired and respected and miss to this day.
He was a simple man, the oldest of five children growing up in Amelia County, Virginia ... a child of the Depression who quit school after eighth grade to help support his financially-strapped family.
According to many pundits today he should have felt sorry for himself and given up on life or blamed society. But he didn't. He served in the Navy during World War II traveling to exotic places around the South Pacific as a gunner on the USS Wisconsin. He came home to Virginia after the war, settled down, married, and raised three daughters. He wasn't the CEO of some company ... but to us he was more.
He was funny, easy-going, and hard to anger ... but when he angered, look out. He was a stern disciplinarian who had a thundering velvet hand when we had misbehaved. He was a deacon in our church ... a Sunday school teacher for the 12-year-old boys ... he hosted them at our house once a year for their annual campout.
My dad loved to camp in the Shenandoah National Park along the Skyline Drive. We couldn't afford pricey vacations so my parents took us to the mountains from the time we were young. Dad was a naturalist before it became fashionable. He was mindful of nature, teaching his girls to leave the flowers for others to enjoy who may come behind us. He taught us to pack out our trash, be respectful of the animals who lived there, and enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia.
We still enjoy that beautiful part of Virginia. At the age of one, my parents took me for my first camping trip to Big Meadows Campground ... and we've been at it ever since.
Though he's not physically with me, I carry his memory with me and honor him by remembering and practicing what he taught all those years ago.
And that's why the Diamond Rio song can bring me to tears in a heartbeat ... if I could have just one more day with him it would be sitting around a campfire in Shenandoah National Park ... one more time....
"One More Day" by Diamond Rio
Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything.
I didn't ask for money or a mansion in Malibu,
I simply wished for one more day with you.
One more day, one more time...
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl,
I'd unplug the telephone, keep the TV off,
I'd hold you every second and say a million "I love you's"...
That's what I'd do with one more day with you.
One more day, one more time...
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishin' still for one more day with you.
Originally posted on Father's Day 2007.
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing.
Big hug.
Just yesterday I was having a moment of wishing for just one more day with my Mom who has been gone for less then a year. How blessed we are to have such people in our lives to miss. No doubt your Dad smiles down upon you and showers you with his love. Be blessed.
thanks for a beautiful posting. I too lost my dad to cancer, a malignant brain tumor. I was at home recovering from surgery for a brain tumor, although mine was not malignant. I've wished many times I could have traded places with him. Only God knows why things happen the way they do, but he will always be in my heart and alive in my memories of him. I look forward to seeing him once again when I meet my Heavenly Father as well.
Lynn, Someday you will walk through a door quickly and you will be with your father and the Father for all the days for evermore.
You've honored your Dad with great love and respect.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It goes without saying how much we appreciate him for serving country. He was a great American!
I am so thankful that both of my parents are still living and are in relatively good health.
Let me just say this. For those that have parents that are still relatively young, etc. Don't hesitate spending as much time with them as you can. Don't hesitate taking a long vacation with them. Don't hesitate taking Dad to see his favorite baseball team. Don't make the mistake of saying the following, well, as soon as I get time, as soon as I get through school, as soon as I can afford it, etc. Because one day when you do have the time, etc., it will be too late.
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