Never too old.
My dad is wonderful. He is. And I’ve always adored him and he has always been an excellent father. I’m an adult and yet I’m still his child, his daughter.
And so when my dad says he is proud of me – I beam. Yesterday, we had our family Christmas for my mom’s side of the family. It was at my parents’ house. After lunch, we gathered together for each family to share their blessings for 2007. My dad started out saying how happy and relieved he is that I’ve turned the corner and am healthy again. He then said how excited he is to see Addison thriving and how much he is enjoying being a papaw. And then he reflected on how at times it was hard to see God’s direction in our lives when we were kids. He spoke of how wonderful it is to see these prayers come to fruition and how proud he is of his three children. We’re all strong adults who know who we are and value family and our faith.
And just like that I’m 10 and riding to UPS with him. I’m overly chatty as I’m excited to be spending time with daddy. I’m telling him about my day and he is incredibly interested and I’m having the most fun. It’s just me and my daddy. Even at age 26 I want to hand Addison to my sister and climb on his lap. I want to steal him away and spend time with him, just us. I want to tell him what I’m doing and to hear the excitement and interest in his voice.
I used to call my dad from college several times a week. Our conversations were much shorter than the conversations with my mom. He had a 1-800 number at his business that I’d use. I’ll call and ask his advice or just chat for a few minutes. Sometimes, he call me and miss me. I’d get back to my dorm room and have a wonderful message on my voicemail telling me hello, that he missed me, and to call him when I got a moment. Often, he’d end with some advice or tell me to be at peace with myself. Usually, by the end of the year my box would be full as I’d never delete those messages. I’d play them now if I had them.
My dad now asks me for advice with his business. I help him prepare his yearly presentation for the bank. I help him set up a new email account. We order birthday gifts for my mom. We’re friends.
I still get a twinge of pain when I leave my parents’ house. I’m an adult but sometimes I want to come ‘home’ knowing that my dad will pretend to be asleep waiting for me to return from spending time with my friends. I want to ride on the tractor with him.
And I will always be a daughter.
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