"Dad, dad, dad, dad... he's our dad..."
My dad: He's a riot. If you've met him, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He's always upbeat, always has a joke, always has a "Wendall-ism" to impart on any listening ear. One of my favorites: "Wish in one hand, crap in the other and see which one fills up first." This may be where my fascination with bodily functions comes from. He's always up for a good time and a practical joke. Once, a guy at work kept eating everyone's lunches. He always ate my dad's baggie of radishes right out of his lunch box. One morning, before placing his lunch box in the fridge, my dad took each radish out of the bag, swished every single one around in his mouth for a good minute (per radish), and placed the radishes carefully back in the baggie and into the fridge. The radishes were gone later that afternoon.
He's also one of the most caring, loving, and giving people I've ever encountered. You'd be hard pressed to find someone else like my dad. He's been through a lot. Even though he had an extremely tough childhood, he made the conscious decision early on that when he had a family of his own, things would change, things would be different. He made every attempt possible to give my mom, sister, and myself everything we needed and wanted. He helped create memories that will last a lifetime. We took the best vacations... Florida, Disney, Niagara Falls, camping, numerous beach adventures, Lake Michigan... I could go on all day. He spoiled me rotten. He changed my oil. He put gas in my car. He even cleaned my room on occasion. I'm not sure that Todd has completely forgiven him for that yet :)
Yesterday was my dad's last day of work. Forever. He was granted approval to retire on disability. I won't go into all the details, but my dad has a list of health problems that could fill an entire room. Almost 20 stents, 30 heart caths, two open heart surgeries, several pacemaker procedures... you get the idea. I'm proud of him for making the decision to take care of himself. He's taken care of my family for 30+ years, and now he'll continue to take care of us... but in a different way. By making sure he's healthy enough to stick around and walk my sister down the aisle one day and be a grandpa (not yet... don't get too excited people!). I'm definitely a daddy's girl.
"Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, momma, momma, momma, momma, momma, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom....."
My mom: You may not know this, but my mom is quite the comedian. She's SO flippin' funny!!!! The things she comes up with.... I nearly have tears running down my legs almost every time we talk. We love to watch TV shows for the sole purpose of making fun of the horrible acting. We have lots of inside jokes. I call her whenever I want a Vanilla Coke, or really fresh fish. She's the only person that always sits in the armadillo seat (don't worry... that was meant directly for her... you're not crazy.) My mom is the "master" of balance. She's one of the most sincere Christian women that I know - she really lives what she believes and everyone around her can see it. But, she knows that being a Christian doesn't mean you have to be a stick-in-the-mud... the lady knows how to have a good time!!!
She's also one of the strongest people you will ever meet. Guaranteed. She's been through a lot, too. At a young age, she lost her mother, sister, and cousin in a car accident. From then on, it was her, her brother, and her father. She was such an amazing sister to my uncle and daughter to my grandpa. So many times during the last few years that my uncle and grandpa were still with us, she would be in the hospital literally hopping between three different rooms because my dad, uncle, and grandpa were all admitted at the same time... my dad with heart issues, my uncle with complications from multiple sclerosis, and my grandpa with stomach cancer, shingles, etc.
She always puts others first. Always. She took such wonderful care of my uncle and grandpa right up until the very end. She takes immaculate care of my father. She's a substitute teacher, a tutor with Sylvan Learning Centers, a youth worker in the Middle School department at Canton Baptist Temple (for more than 30 years!)... the woman tutors kids on the side, for free, out of the goodness of her heart because she thinks "math is fun." Clearly, I didn't get a love of math from her. Every October, she gathers a group of junior high girls and bakes dozens of cookies for the pastoral staff at church for Pastor Appreciation Month. At Christmas, it's the same deal... just on a much grander scale. Cookies go to the church office, family, friends, neighbors.... the list gets bigger every year. She'll stay up until 4:00 in the morning just to make sure she's fulfilling a promise she's committed to. She. Is. Awesome.
We're a precious little family...
I live eight hours away from my parents, so it's not often that I get the chance to brag on them. So... opportunity taken. I'm beyond thankful for their consistent love and support.
Mom, dad.... you're extra-super-triple-great!!!!!
~ Love, Heather
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