Yesterday was my parents’ 39th anniversary. I’m so thankful to be able to say this because growing up, almost every single friend of mine split their weekends between houses. Frankly, being raised by these two is a blessing. Here’s a story about my dad just to give you a sense of the head of our household.
My dad is a quiet man, he doesn’t typically talk to you unless he knows you, and when he knows you, you won’t stop laughing. He was always our coach and when we got too old for him to coach our teams, he was at every game. I remember when I was in third grade, I had just gotten a new bike and the weather was warm enough to ride it. My older brother Andy and I went with our dad to the track at Hale High School because it was just across the street. Dad was running and Andy and I were riding our bikes. I remember him looking at me and saying “Sis, you don’t need to race, you aren’t quite there yet.” My brother said “Ready, settie, GO!” and we were off. My dad just watched and said as we sped past him “You might want to slow down.” You see, the track was a gravel-ish track and I slid a little on the turn. I had scraped the entire side of my face and shoulder, everything on the right side was scraped and nasty. My dad ran up, picked me up, brushed everything off (keep in mind, I bit it hard and was bleeding, but nothing was broken), and picked up my bike. His next words to me were, at the time, I thought harsh, but I’m so thankful for them now. “Get back on and let’s ride home.” My brother was so afraid he would get in trouble that he hadn’t said a word the entire time except for when I went down, he screamed that I was badly injured. I love my brother. So, I was crying and making a tiny scene but I got back on my bike and rode home with my dad holding the handle bars.
My parents don’t really do big things for their anniversary anymore, well, they never really did, but to them, they were just happy to be together and it was the little things that counted. So, my dad went to bed on Monday night and my mom made him promise he wouldn’t get her anything because she already had the best present of all time in him, so he just smiled and kissed her goodnight. I got home from class last night and on the dining room table was a huge vase of yellow roses. Every year, my dad takes about an hour out of his day to pick out the best card and get my mom something very special. The significance of the yellow roses: My mom has always loved yellow roses, but my oldest brother Rick is a Marine and the yellow rose is a symbol for a Marine Mom.
A closing story about my dad. When my brothers were talking to him about asking their current wives to marry them, my dad took them fishing or running, whatever guys do. I never knew what they talked about until I asked him one night and he actually told me (You see, the guys in my family still see me as a three year old) that all he talks to them about is how they better be absolutely positive about this decision because there is no going back, marriage is a forever thing and he would never tolerate a quitter. I just love my family.
My dad is a quiet man, he doesn’t typically talk to you unless he knows you, and when he knows you, you won’t stop laughing. He was always our coach and when we got too old for him to coach our teams, he was at every game. I remember when I was in third grade, I had just gotten a new bike and the weather was warm enough to ride it. My older brother Andy and I went with our dad to the track at Hale High School because it was just across the street. Dad was running and Andy and I were riding our bikes. I remember him looking at me and saying “Sis, you don’t need to race, you aren’t quite there yet.” My brother said “Ready, settie, GO!” and we were off. My dad just watched and said as we sped past him “You might want to slow down.” You see, the track was a gravel-ish track and I slid a little on the turn. I had scraped the entire side of my face and shoulder, everything on the right side was scraped and nasty. My dad ran up, picked me up, brushed everything off (keep in mind, I bit it hard and was bleeding, but nothing was broken), and picked up my bike. His next words to me were, at the time, I thought harsh, but I’m so thankful for them now. “Get back on and let’s ride home.” My brother was so afraid he would get in trouble that he hadn’t said a word the entire time except for when I went down, he screamed that I was badly injured. I love my brother. So, I was crying and making a tiny scene but I got back on my bike and rode home with my dad holding the handle bars.
My parents don’t really do big things for their anniversary anymore, well, they never really did, but to them, they were just happy to be together and it was the little things that counted. So, my dad went to bed on Monday night and my mom made him promise he wouldn’t get her anything because she already had the best present of all time in him, so he just smiled and kissed her goodnight. I got home from class last night and on the dining room table was a huge vase of yellow roses. Every year, my dad takes about an hour out of his day to pick out the best card and get my mom something very special. The significance of the yellow roses: My mom has always loved yellow roses, but my oldest brother Rick is a Marine and the yellow rose is a symbol for a Marine Mom.
A closing story about my dad. When my brothers were talking to him about asking their current wives to marry them, my dad took them fishing or running, whatever guys do. I never knew what they talked about until I asked him one night and he actually told me (You see, the guys in my family still see me as a three year old) that all he talks to them about is how they better be absolutely positive about this decision because there is no going back, marriage is a forever thing and he would never tolerate a quitter. I just love my family.
Thanks mom and dad for getting married and staying married.
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