collage of my father

A collage of my father.

He was my ice cream dad, my mint chocolate chip on a cone dad.  My little log cabin dad, the most perfect tiny house in my back yard built just for me.  He was my music dad, my flute and cello duets dad, my piano and organ dad, my park band dad, my piccolo soloist, my roll me around playing the bass drum in Fourth of July parades dad.

He was my homemade frog costume with the ping pong ball eyes dad, my cello costume so big I ended up sort of hopping that Halloween dad, my sewing patches and buttons dad, my train cake dad, my artist dad, wood carving, chess set making, toymaking dad.

Once, long ago, he let me help him make toy soldiers as he was weighting them with lead (is that what’s wrong with my math skills?).  He was my hiking, camping, gardening dad, my tomato and cucumber plant and everything that grows under the sun dad.  My get up and yes you can don’t you ever give up dad.  My always win even if you lose dad, my lucky ducky dad.

Once we guessed how many beans were in a jar for a coffee maker in a town fair and we won.  We raced down to pick up our new coffee maker and he was so happy and so full of beans that day!  My you have to trust dad.  My hot spicy jalapeño Mexican food dad.  My music camp dad, my paint and wallpaper decorator while I’m away and surprise me when I get home dad.   My dog crazy dad loving any and every dog big or small but not exactly cats dad.  My frugal world war two veteran war hero dad who never did anything over the top for himself but always for us kids dad.

My children’s fun and special grampa dad.  Kids magazines still coming, gifts still arriving each day even after he’s gone dad, my loves to send gifts in the mail dad.  My everything is okay because I’m here dad.  My see ya later alligator, in a while crocodile dad because I never wanted to say good bye dad.

And still, he’s here.  Twice he came to me in my dreams since he died last month.  Once he showed me a tree and told me he was a leaf fallen after a full cycle of life on the tree, now again nourishing the soil and he wanted me to understand that was a celebration of life; a gift to be glad for.  He told me I was green and fully alive and that for me it is time to be on the tree.

In a second dream he said he was watching over us; that was his post in Heaven and he could see everything going on here.  He could reach through the dimensions and touch inside this one even though I could not see him.  He said angels can do many things at the same time:  there is no time there like there is here.

So now he’s my guardian angel dad.

Our guardian angels are closer to us than anything except the love of God. They know us more intimately than our parent ... ~ Eileen Elias Freeman

"On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." ~ Psalm 91:12