spent some time this morning thinking about my dad…

he really raised us as mother and father as my mom spent so much time in hospital during my early years…

he would have loved the garden and did get to sit on the main deck a few times… his dad was a master gardener, but I don’t remember dad doing much in the garden, but he loved seeing beautiful well tended flower beds…

he always welcomed others into our home and we often had people staying with us as they were going through difficult times…

he was a great cook… I can remember one night when he was draining the spaghetti over a sink full of dishwater and the strainer fell into the water… he picked it up, rinsed the spaghetti off and continued with the meal prep… we couldn’t afford to throw it out… it was served with his famous meatballs and homemade sauce… one of our guests went on and on about it being the best he’d ever had… Dad and I laughed about that for years…

he always had candy in his pockets… maybe that’s why I always have candy on my desk, and chocolate inside it, lol…

he loved athletics and we went to events whenever we could manage… he cheered for everyone and taught me that a good job deserved praise… it didn’t matter if it was your team or the other team…

he looked forward to parades and we sat on the curb at Portage and Strathcona for every single one that went by…

in his later years he would take me grocery shopping for my family and would treat us to a lovely roast or steak… took me a while to accept without protesting… I realized that he was no longer able to do physical things to help us due to his health, but he could treat us to groceries…

he taught me to be kind, treat everyone equally, work hard, and do my best…

thanks Dad…