just got in from grocery shopping.  as i unloaded a watermelon and cantaloupe into the sink to rinse off, couldn't help but think of dad.  i'm not a gardener.  but i appreciate those who do it well.  and he did, for sure.  i remember being in jr.high and dad coming home from work and picking dinner for us from the garden:  new potatoes, tomatoes for frying or just eating sliced with salt and pepper, and some sort of greens for steaming and eating with butter and vinegar.

as i put away all of tonight's produce, i will give thanks for all the Creator ingeniously created; and for the life of my dad.

I saw this picture and thought of Dad sending us a smile from heaven.  Thanks Dad!!!

giving thanks today for the impact that my dad had on my and my children.
he was affirming and encouraging and they all knew they were loved by him.

happy father's day, dad.  i know you are having the best one of your life today!

80th birthday

paul is grilling steaks and veggies on the grill.  the smell makes me think of dad.  he was an expert griller.  and fastidious about clean up.  which paul/we are not.  when he was visiting here in the summer our grill was never cleaner.

this was taken the weekend of sid's memorial service.

(click photo to enlarge)

Remember how faithful Dad was in doing the crossword puzzle that was in the newspaper?  He was great at it!  He would labor over the puzzles and rare it was he would miss a word.  I loved that he would keep his mind and body active.  I am missing him today!

i LOVE this pic of grandpa and katekate.  i love both of their twinkling eyes and genuine smiles.  beauty.

came across this sweet pic of paul with grandpa.  it was taken at gilda's house one christmas when we visited... out in the florida room i think.  sweetness!

I remember Dad loving the seasons.  Michigan had real seasons and he took advantage of them.  Preparing the garden for Spring planting. Getting his gun ready for hunting season. Making certain he had his mower at the ready for Summer so as to provide his customers with the best lawn care services anyone could want.  If his lawnmower could speak, it would tell us of the love and pride taken is serving others.  That Dad of our was a peach! 

they say smells can bring back memories often more clearly than any other sense.  i have found this to be true since losing brian.

one memory that i have of dad is related to smell.  he used to wear a leather hat to and from work when he was employed at kroger dairy.  that hat soaked in a lot of his "essence" (i.e. sweat!) and i used to put my whole face in it and breathe in deeply.  it hung on a hook by the back door so when i walked by and it was there, i would often stop and take in that smell.

a random memory, but, for me, a sweet one.

I have been thinking about Dad all morning.  Like him, I am a lover of coffee, especially in the morning. So whenever I choose what I am going to grind and brew, I think of him. Unlike him, I need cream and sugar in mine.  He was a black coffee guy...no apologies for that.  'Course he needed a piece of cake or pie or a couple of cookies as a "side car" with that morning brew.  Neat guy!  G

welcome family!

i decided to start this blog as a way for each of us to honor dad's/grandpa's life.
since there was no memorial service, there was no chance for us to gather and talk together about our memories of him.

please feel free to post at any time and share your memories and things you appreciated about him.  other family news and updates are always welcome as well.  also feel free to share photos.

i hope you will enjoy participating!

love, sybille