THE MONTH OF LOVE - MY DAD

Two years ago today, my amazing father passed away.  

We were getting ready to come home from Mexico two Christmas ago, when my parents called.  My dad hadn't been feeling well for months, and finally they had some answers...it was cancer.  No big deal, I thought, my mom had breast cancer and beat it...we will beat it again.  Every doctor appointment brought horrible news, every result from every test was like a kick in the gut.  Chemo was a nightmare, and very quickly I realized that we may not beat cancer this time.  When I look back on those short 51 days though, I treasure every moment.  I treasure when he asked me if I knew how beautiful I was.  I treasure when he hugged my Brittani and told her she was perfect.  I treasure our trip to Kentucky to see his parents.  I treasure the memory of him sitting on the side of the BYU pool when Brittani took state.  I treasure being able to feed him the last food he would ever eat, and sitting on his bed as he took his last breath.

My dad was kind, gentle, loving, honest, quiet, and strong.  He loved the sun, convertibles, Santa Cruz, his family, and the Lord.  He was an amazing man.  One of the things I loved the very most about my dad was the way he loved my mom.  He always put her first, and she was his princess.  I'm very thankful for the wonderful example he set for me.  I knew always that he would do anything for me, and I never doubted his love for me.

Last night I asked my sweet children what they loved about Grandpa Gary, and these were their replies:

Connor

I loved his hair.

I loved that he was always nice to everyone.

Nathan

I loved how much he loved Grandma.

He was always positive.

I loved when he would sing "I love Nathan" to the doorbell.

Brittani

I loved how he liked adventure, how he loved the beach. 

I loved how he was pretty quiet, but you knew he loved you.

I loved how he would cheer really loud at the TV and make those squeezing noises with his hands.

I loved how he sang funny songs to the grand kids that I can still hear so clearly in my head.

I loved his Hawaiian shirts.

I loved how he was real and honest.

I loved how he genuinely loved people.

I loved how he was a fighter through the end; he always had so much faith.

He was so optimistic about life.

He wouldn't ever go back on what he believed in, and if anyone asked, he would tell them proudly.

He was as firm as a rock.

He was a pretty cool guy, Grandpa Gary.

One of my loves...my dad.