I went home Saturday to spend a couple of days with my mom. We are still getting adjusted to not having dad in this world. He was a force to be reckoned with, and so that force is certainly missed.
Mom wanted to show me his wallet and what she had recently discovered. Mind you, this is an interesting thing. We Gray's don't look in each other's personal items, such as purses, wallets, etc. That being the case, we have all been more than a little curious as to what Dad has been carrying around in his wallet.
He got so little as disease took more and more of his physical body, that I think the sheer size and weight of that wallet became more prominent to us. Curiosity!
So what did mom find in his wallet? Scads of dollar bills or credit cards (nope, he didn't use a credit card, and kept only a bit of "pocket money" on him, but not a lot of bills)...discount cards for shops, etc. (nope, not that either!)...so what made it so "FAT"?
Dad had pictures of we kids and his grand kids and of his wife. He had a "credit card" size prayer for a teacher. He was a teacher to the end, that's for sure! But the one thing I will never get over, is a card I (and it must've been 8 or 9 years old) had written to him. He had folded into fourths to get it to fit into his wallet. I won't tell you all that I had written him, because it's just too precious to reveal, but I will tell you this. What I shared with my dad meant enough to him that he kept it close. It didn't get thrown away, it didn't get filed, and it didn't get mis-placed. It was precious to him. I LOVE that. I can't tell you what that has meant to me.
It made me even more clear about the fact that while on this earth, we need to "say what we need to say" while we can, while we are able, because tomorrow is not a promise. I'm SO glad that I did, but I think of times I have not, and I know that those times are opportunities missed.
Did I love my dad? of course! Did my dad love me? No doubt about it...he let me know in a million different ways. He used to say "Love and Like ya Sher", before I went to bed as a youngster, and as I grew up, he still said those same words!
It's a lot like my Heavenly Father...He loves it when I send love letters to him through prayer or acts of service and kindness on his behalf. I don't imagine He has a wallet, but I know He cherishes each one. Do I love my Heavenly Dad? More and more each day. Does my heavenly dad love me? No doubt about it! He continues to tell me through His people, His word and His world, "Love and Like ya Sher"
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