Paw Paw (my Dad) passed away two years ago today. He lived a fun, exciting, fruitful life. He struggled with his health from a young age, surviving his first heart-attack at 29. (I wasn't even born yet.) My Mom remembers the scary time of being told her husband had a 50/50 chance of life. But Dad pulled through. He went on living life as a vibrant, healthy man. Few knew the truth that he was a very sick man, struggling every day with congestive heart failure (not to mention diabetes.)
I remember him saying he wanted to live to see me (his youngest) graduate high school. When that day came, he said he had to hold on long enough to see me get married. He released me to Andy in 2002 and changed his plans to after seeing grandkids. To be honest, I'm amazed that he was able to hang on as long as he did. Even for those of us closest to him, it was hard not to be fooled by his playful, joyous demeaner. I think we even forgot how sick he was. He never complained. He didn't want anyone to label him as "sick." He set an amazing example of a true man, living with purpose.
One of my favorite memories is when my Dad led me to Christ during one of our father-daughter Bible studies. Mom would leave Sunday afternoons to take my older brother, Jim, to Bible Drill. It was then that Dad and I would sit on the couch and study the Bible together. One day I decided I was ready to give my life to Christ, and Dad led me in that prayer. It was such a sweet time. Unfortunately, the damage of a stroke erased that precious memory from his brain. But I had fun reminding him. He was an amazing father.
And he was an amazing Paw Paw. I'm so glad he lived long enough to see C, M and J. He adored his granddaughters. Dad and I would talk on the phone almost every afternoon, but I think he really looked forward to talking with C and M. He got such a kick out of talking with them on the phone. (Probably because he could tell how much it thrilled them as well.) I think his favorite days in life may have been as Paw Paw.
The girls still talk a lot about Paw Paw. In fact, after Paw Paw passed away, we inherited his truck and his recliner. The girls still thank Paw Paw for the truck and remind us that we need to take care of Paw Paw's truck. And the recliner (affectionately known as Paw Paw's chair) is the cure all. Any time the girls are feeling gloomy or sad, they ask to sit in Paw Paw's chair. There's something about sitting in the recliner that makes you feel good. I've even looked forward to middle of the night wake up calls to nurse an infant in that chair. Now that's just silly, but it is an amazing chair. I know the day will come when the chair will break and the truck will give its final ride, but I hate to see that day come. I like using Dad's stuff every day.
I'll end this post with some special pictures of Dad and Paw Paw. Yes, it's embarassing, but that's me and my Dad. I love you Dad.
