Anyway.... today would have been my dad's 63rd birthday. During the last 6 weeks of his life, as the life drained from him and he began dying, I lived with him and took care of him 24/7. I have some very fond and some very horrible memories from that time. But I have no regrets.
Overall, it's been a good day. I bought a case of Reeses Peanut Butter cups from Amazon last week. I handed them out to everyone today in honor of my dad. They were his absolute favorite candy. His favorite foods were Reeses, Breakfast Burritos from McDonald's, Baconators from Wendy's, the special hamburger with the fried egg on it from Red Robin, Chocolate Cake Donuts with Chocolate frosting, toasted PB&J, bananas, meatloaf, and anything washed down with Diet Coke. Everyone goes with Diet Coke, he told me on countless occasions. He hated cheese. I always remember that.
As his birthday present this year, I bought and donated two flocks of chickens through Heifer International (www.heifer.org). The three things that meant the most to my dad were family, animals and self-reliance. This amazing organization donates animals to families in developing countries to allow them to be more self-reliant and earn a living. I thought it was the perfect thing to honor the heritage he left me. It was fun to do and helped me feel close to him.
One of the things I found just after his passing, was a stack of index cards, with a whole punched in the corner on a ring. They had scriptures printed out in my dad's incredibly straight, block hand writing. I love looking at them and reading through them. I believe he wrote them on his mission and probably memorized them. I had a similar stack from my mission. I cherish them. Mostly because through them, I have connected to his testimony of the gospel and of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
In the April 2012 General Conference, Elder Scott quoted President Joseph F. Smith: "We are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors... who have preceded us into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we can not break. Those... who have gone beyond.. can see us better than we can see them; We live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever... their love for us and their desire for our well being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves."
I believe that. I believe that those who have gone on before me watch over me and have had experiences to confirm that. I will not forget him. I will not cease to love him. I will continue to keep him as part of my life.
I love you dad. Happy Birthday!
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