5 things my Dad gave me

I had intended to post this on Father's Day, but like the blueberry butter that was supposed to be finished and delivered to him yesterday, blogging runs a bit slow these days (okay... the butter didn't cook slowly, so much as I forgot the part where you plug in the slow cooker).

And the card I bought a week ago mysteriously disappeared....  I'm sure I'll find it hidden among Gilbert's "treasures."

A day late, here are 5 things my father gave to me:

1. A love for growing things 

I think there have only been three years in my life when I didn't have something growing and I credit this to my Dad.  My past, present, and future are full of tree ripened fruit, corn patches, more zucchini and squash than we can consume, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, grapes and more.  Digging in the dirt feels rewarding and I don't think the desire to garden would be so deeply ingrained if it had not been taught to me.   What he taught me about growing a garden has been carried on in everything from the potted gardens on porches and balconies of apartments to the raised bed garden at my last house and will be carried forward to the garden I'm building at my current house.  (Dad, if you are reading this, my corn is going to outgrow yours next year for sure!!)

2. A sense of adventure 

No phrases makes me so excited as "let's head out" and "let's go on an adventure".  This is because of the wonderful things that followed those words when I was a kid.  Lots of camping and fishing, road trips, and family outings resulted in positive, lasting memories.

Trying to continue this legacy has highlighted how much effort and patience it took for my Dad to fix the 100th snagged fishing line, all the while neglecting his own fishing pole.  It has highlighted how many sleep deprived nights he and my Mom survived in hotel rooms with four kids as we road-tripped around the country.  It has highlighted the amount of experience and planning that went into making large group camp outs with my friends work.  It has highlighted the amount of money that my parents dedicated to making sure we had many epic adventures.  So thank you, Dad!  Thanks to you, I feel as much excitement as my toddler when I say the words "let's head out," because even if I was the one who planned the outing, I still know something fun is about to follow!

3. Time 

My Dad is always generous with his time.  As a kid, I remember him cheering me on at gymnastics meets, volleyball games, piano recitals, musicals, and voice competitions.  He always showed up.  As an adult, I treasure the time we spent road-tripping to move me out to the Midwest for graduate school and then back to the Northwest afterward.  He has been there to hold my babies during their first day in the world.  He has always been there to provide just the right amount of advice/support and express his confidence in my abilities at tough times during my life.  Whether it's a medical emergency, yet another move, purchasing my first car and house, or trying to fix the dang clay heavy soil in my garden, my Dad shares his valuable time and lifetime of knowledge to help.  How my parents manage to provide this support to four kids is beyond me, but they have done a pretty darn good job.

4. My hometown 

I was born in California and we moved to Wenatchee when I was very small.  Neither of my parents are from here, so this wasn't necessarily the most obvious choice.  From what I have been told, they did their research and consciously chose this beautiful valley as our home.  While my Dad would have been a great Dad regardless of zip code, he and my Mom chose to give me and my sisters a great childhood in a pretty magical place.  They chose so well that I have returned here to raise my own children.

Source

5.  A connection with animals. 

 I'm not sure this was intentional, but I can't recall a time in my life without having animals around.  My Mom may have been the driver behind bringing some of them home (some day I may tell you all "the cat" story), but don't think I didn't catch my Dad cuddling and loving on the various dogs, cats, rodents, frogs, salamanders, and whatever else happened through the house.

"The cat"

My Dad once performed CPR on a hamster.  Seriously.  The man is a hero.  And he let us rescue and raise a baby bird (those little suckers are NEEDY!).  And he revived a Gerbil with some aspirin.  My little sister raised a meat pig every year and we raised some meat chickens at one point (meat chickens are gross in case you were not aware).  Although we never did have laying hens that I recall (I think we did in California, but they met an unfortunate raccoon-involved end), he spoke so fondly of having hens that I acquired some the first chance I got.   I appreciate (even with the work that the four of us did to "take care" of the animals), how much poop he scooped, litter he changed, pet hair he cleaned up, and how many pet funerals he officiated.  That part isn't exactly what I would call fun.

My Dad has given so much to our family that goes beyond a few numbered items, but those are a few of the big ones.

So Happy Father's Day, Dad!  Thank you!  I love you!