Father's Day...

Yesterday was Father's Day. Gift cards were sent to each of the son-in-laws and to Jake. He is not a father yet but he is a great uncle to his nieces and nephews. 

Claude had a very laid back day. We went to Church in the morning, ate lunch at Pizza Hut, he took a nap and then worked at his laptop on his new Church calling, took calls from his kids and then he and I watched television to finish the evening. Meanwhile, the thunderstorms rolled on outside. We both declared it a nice day.

I posted these pictures of my kids with their father on Facebook to help remember what a good father Claude is and has always been. 

First, Nissa. Our first born. Such a wonderful baby. She was always happy. She always woke with a smile on her face. She loved everyone. She was very active and was crawling when she was 5 months old and climbing onto the sofa at 7 months. Every mother should have such a sweet kid for a first child to learn on. To this day Nissa calls herself our test monkey. She is still cheerful and wants to be happy and have everyone around her be happy. Life was not always easy on her. She was raped at age 12 and it had a profound effect on her life. We didn't find out until she was a senior in high school and things started going badly for her. Every evening was spent with her dad at her side struggling through homework as she worked very hard to finish high school. She made it and we were very, very happy for her. She loves her dad and he loves this precious first born test monkey.

Next came Andean (whom we call Andie) into our home. This little nugget was destined to claim her father as the parent loved best. Not a problem for me. I am a strong believer in a little girl being raised with a strong, good male role in her life. It definitely sets her standards for the kind of man she wants to spend her life with. Andie is her father's equal in quick, sharp wit. They both love to cook. As Andie's kids came along, they each had some special needs and Andie studied and found things that would help them learn and develop. Sometimes these things needed to be built. She would take the idea and pictures to her dad and he would diligently and lovingly make these items for her children. He has helped her make a table for their patio out of pallets and garden boxes for her back yard. Lots of good times with these two. 

Last came our Christofer Jacob or Jake. That much hoped for son. Jake was a wonderful addition to our family. I remember him playing Rocky on the record player in the basement and having boxing matches with himself. He loved baseball. Spent hours take boxes, paper, duct tape, etc. and making detailed replicas of baseball fields across the United States. He kept detailed logs of his baseball games and all the stats. Collected baseball cards and followed Dale Murphy's career. He and Claude tried to play catch. They really tried. However I will never forget the day they came in with their baseball gloves, threw them and the ball in the basket in the hall closet and declared defeat. One of their favorite times was Claude deciding Jake needed to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. He made all the arrangements and they took a Father/Son trip to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and see a game. I do believe that is one of Jake's most pleasant memories from his childhood. Claude let him pick out whatever he wanted to for dinner and he had a big steak. They share a love of writing and a love of music. Jake is a great son to this loving father.

I went to Sacrament Meeting with Claude and then popped in to visit Papa while Claude finished the rest of the meetings at Church. I took him two new pair of slacks. He was very happy to get them. His tummy is growing and he only had a few pair that would fit him. I took him two Hostess cupcakes for a treat. It was good to be with him on Father's Day. But it was hard. He is just dwindling in ability and care for himself. It is hard to watch him finish his life like this. It would be great to have a good conversation with him about anything, but it just doesn't happen. It rounds back to 80 years ago or he shrugs his shoulders like he doesn't care. Not sure what the future holds for Papa. But I will continue to try and make his life as pleasant as possible. It has been a good thing to be there for him at this point in his life, but it is hard. 

Father's Day, it has many faces. I have friends who don't have a father in their lives. That includes and ex-son-in-law who doesn't communicate with his children. So very, very sad. So I know personally that Father's Day can be a good day for many and a very hard day for others. But this year, I declare Father's Day a win for me and the men in my life.