One year ago today I lost my dad. I've been thinking about this day for the last month, wondering how I would feel, what it would be like. I woke up this morning missing him. I decided to write this blog as a tribute to my dad and remind all of us that you never know how long we have to spend time with our loved ones.
Last year was an amazingly difficult year for me. One week after purchasing our dream home, I was laid off from my job of 3 years. My husband immediately packed me up and took me to visit my dad. Dad and his wife have a gorgeous home on a golf course in Northern New Mexico. It's so peaceful, tucked up almost 10,000 feet high in the mountains. It's always been a place for me to go to 'get away'.
Isn't it beautiful??? It was a wonderful time for me to spend with my dad and talk to him about my situation. I decided to start real estate school. He thought I would be great......he was very proud. I was trying to get my classes finished and had gone to a Saturday class. I'll never forget the phone call as I was driving home from real estate school.
My dad was an insurance agent..........when insurance agents were compared to car salesman. He was extremely successful. I was always very proud of him and told everyone that he was an Allstate agent. He, on the other hand was so humble that he didn't talk about his success. I had forgotten about a lot of his accomplishments until we started going through some things that he had saved. I have numerous trophies, certificates, pictures of trips he won as well as jewelry - cuff links, tie bars, tie tacks, rings, pins.....you name it and he saved all of them.
He gave Allstate over 30 years of his life and I remember most of it. I remember as a little girl driving by his office in Albuquerque and my mom and dad would salute........it's funny now, but he really appreciated the opportunities that Allstate gave him and the success that he experienced.
His passions were numerous and I could write a dozen pages about all the stories that I remember. Dad loved to fish and the guys at the Orvis store in Santa Fe knew him by name. He was an avid golfer. The day he died he played 9 holes and proudly mowed the lawn around their beautiful home.
Their home is situated on the 5th Fairway of the Pendaries Golf Course in Rociada New Mexico........He called it his 'home hole'. On one of my recent trips I saw the bench that we had made for him. It sits among the trees at the tee box on the 5th hole. The bench was made by one of the residents in Pendaries that makes iron gates. He did a fabulous job and I wish I could remember his name so that I could pay him tribute as well.
I didn't realize it until recently, but my business and the way I run it has become a reflection of what I admired most in my dad. I often think back about all the perserverance and dedication he put into his business and how hard he worked to have something he could really be proud of. I've just recently realized that the reason I've tried so hard to make this business a career is because he would never want me to give up.
I hope I can be the kind of businesswoman that he would be proud to call his daughter.
Never, ever take for granted that there will be time later on..........You just never know when you'll get that phone call that will shake you in your boots.
Thank you for endulging me today on what is not only the 1st anniversary of the day my father passed away, but also the anniversary of the day, 37 years earlier, that 3 of his sons (my brothers) also passed away.
I love you, Dad!!
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