I wasn't in the best place in my life. I'd had not one, but two divorces and that second one was a trigger in some "test my mommy" behavior in my child. I remember I was having a "code" interpretation disagreement with the local building and zoning code enforcement. The words "for" and "on" are not interchangeable in my book.
I got a phone call one morning and my mom told me that my daddy had just been told his biopsy results and that he did have cancer. The code enforcement officer must have thought I was beyond nuts because I threw her out of my office in a screaming rage ten minutes after I got that call.
But here I am 19 years and 1 day post my daddy's surgery and he's still the hardest working man I know. I find it a little ironic that his surgery was on veterans day. 1999 seems like a lifetime ago. My daughter was in the 6th grade, Donald was just a pen pal at the time and I'd never even owned a dog. Life was so different.
But I have always said that it changed me for the better... I began to see every day for what it is... a gift. I always tell my friends I love them at the end of a conversations or that I'm grateful for our friendship.
I am so very thankful for the gift of 19 years and for each day that comes after that I still have my Daddy here with me. (photo from the 60s)
