As a child it was easy to please my dad; polish his work shoes, or make him oatmeal cookies. When I was sixteen and worked for Baskin Robbins, I got him hooked on mixing two parts fudge royal to one part peppermint ice cream. To this day, I can't mix chocolate and peppermint ice cream without thinking about him.
While most do not consider the soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera, Christmas carols, in my house it is. Every year, it is in the playlist with “I’ll be home for Christmas.” Daddy, gave my husband and I tickets to see Phantom for Christmas. It was a bittersweet time; we were married a few weeks before and it was to be my last Christmas in California. The naval base in Alameda was closing, and we were being transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas in two short months.
One of our favorite songs is “The Cat’s in Cradle” by Harry Chapin. Funny as a child how the lyrics were just words. As an adult, I truly understood why my dad never had enough time to spread between his three kids. At times, he had to work so much, it felt we were strangers living in the same house. The times with scouts, camping, or at the shooting range were precious bits of his time I will always cherish.
Today is my dad turns 71 years old. Happy Birthday Daddy, I love you!
