In honor of my Dad’s love for Dave Letterman and his Top Ten
Lists, these are my “Top 5 Things I Will Remember Most About My Dad.”
5. When I was in primary school, Dad used to be off of work
one day during the week. On those days, he would pick me up from school instead
of me going to daycare. We would always go and get purple and orange slushies
and sometimes we would get stale bread or crackers and go feed the seagulls on
the beach.
4. Everyone knows my Dad’s love for trivia and pop culture.
What you might not know is that he passed that down to me. When I lived at
home, we would always watch all the awards shows and comment about performances
and winners. When I moved out, I could count on a phone call at some point
during a big awards show, usually saying something to the effect of “What were
they thinking?!” I must say though, that, growing up, I helped him add to his
trivia vault exponentially by cluing him in to all the teenybopper information
on music and movies.
3. My Dad used to come read to my class at school when I was
younger. My friends and teachers were always so excited because Dad would read
everything in character. No boring monotone from him. Every character had a
different voice. And I thought I had the coolest dad because of it. Because of
his work shift, he would also often go on field trips with my class, the
greatest of which was our 5th grade experience in Washington DC.
2. Dad never met a stranger. When I was a teenager, this
brought me much embarrassment. “Do you have
to talk to everybody?” I would ask him as we went from grocery store, to
restaurant, to gas station. As an adult, it allows me to see how many connections
and ways you can brighten a person’s day, just by having a couple minute
conversation with them.
1. In recent years, almost every time my dad and I talked on
the phone, at the end of the conversation he would almost always tell me how
proud he was of me. It didn’t matter what we had been talking about, he would
end with “I’m proud of you.”
Oh how sweet!! What a great tribute to your dad. Cherish the memories!
ReplyDeleteI love this. Your Dad was a character, that's for sure! Such a likeable fellow.
ReplyDeleteYour Dad was unique indeed; and even though I never met him personally, that one trait stood out immediately after becoming a regular reader of his weekly ramblings. I, too, never meet a stranger, be it gas station, grocery store, or just passing someone on the sidewalk..the cost of a smile is priceless. And that is one element we had in common. Reading your memories here reflect snd magnify that even more. A sense of humor goes a long way in one's life, and your Dad did this so eloquently in all that he did. What a legacy he left. Thank you for sharing these precious memories.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, your dad was my best friend from middle school through high school. While we went our separate ways in college, I will never forget his friendship. I was thinking about him earlier this week as I remembered his upcoming birthday. If he had chosen radio instead of print journalism, I believe he could have given Rush Limbaugh a run for his money. Different political views, but his self-confidence, quick wit and extensive knowledge of trivia and current events would have shined in a talk radio format.
ReplyDeleteI love your tribute to him. His love and devotion to family are character traits I remember fondly. I miss him too.