Dad

January 11 is a bittersweet day for us.

The sweet is that it's Kevin's birthday.

The bitter is that it's the day we lost my dad, shown above.

Dad passed away in his sleep, without any warning, in 2009.

We had seen him the evening before, he was fine.

But the next day, on Kevin's 21st birthday, he found his beloved grandpa in his bed.

He had passed in the night, without even reaching for the phone.

We think he had a major heart attack in his sleep, without feeling a thing.

Such a shock, but through the tears we knew it was a blessing. Dad's kidney's were failing - a side effect of diabetes. Within a year or so, he would have been on dialysis. God spared him of going through that, & we're thankful.

The picture above shows him doing one of the things he loved...

He had many stories of the snowstorms of his youth, and this snow in 2003 gave him a chance play in snow again.

How I wish I could hear his stories again!

I was very blessed to have been raised in a good Christian home, with parents who loved each other, their daughters, their grandchildren, & their God with all their hearts.

You can see the love written all over his face at Jessica's college graduation.

(Kevin is lurking in the background)

Jessica & Kevin were very close to their Grandpa, sometimes I would find out what was going on in their lives by overhearing things they were telling him while waiting for church to start.

And once it started, it was truly a pleasure to hear him singing his beloved hymns.

I often close my eyes, and hear him in my mind singing once again.

But I can also hear him saying not to overlook Jessica and Kevin's birthdays!

So to both of my children, who have January birthdays -

Happy, happy birthday.

And again, sorry for those January birthdays!

Too close to Christmas. Too snowy.

Too few birthday parties through the years - it always snowed.

If anyone out there is starting a family, plan better than we did - summer birthday's sure are nice!

Dad's birthday was in the middle of July - which was great for picnics!