Everywhere I am, there you'll be

Today I'm celebrating my Dad's birthday and what he meant to me...

A little over two years ago, my Dad lost his courageous battle with cancer after more than 10 years of lung problems, colon cancer, and lung cancer. Today while I want to celebrate his life and his influence in my life, I also want to acknowledge Lung Cancer Awareness month.


Precious memories with Dad

• watching him lay the foundation of my childhood home in that open field
  


• fishing early mornings out on Dad's Lake, drinking Barq's rootbeer in a bottle and eating "nabs"
  
  
• traveling with Dad as he walked acres of land carrying a persimmon branch while he magically found water for folks to dig wells
  
  
• leading Old Bill the mule from Grandpa's to the house for working our garden
  
  
• finally being old enough to drive the tractor from Grandpa's to the house
  
  
• learning to work the garden, from planting those tiny tomato plants, hoeing, to harvesting the crop
  
  
• riding home with Dad after work as he picked me up from the church after the bus dropped me there after school for organ practice each day
  
  
• stopping by the Quickstop with Dad and getting a rootbeer before heading home
  
  
• eating his delicious homemade chocolate ice cream
  
  
• watching Indy car and Nascar racing
  
  
• learning to drive the Volkswagon beetle around the yard
  
  
• being taught high-speed driving at 16, because he wanted to make sure I could get him back to the hospital in town if he had another heart attack
  
  
• learning to parallel park the truck in the front yard and being aggravated by my little sister while she moved the drums
  
  
• time in the darkroom, loading film and developing black and white photos in his lab
  
  
• building the theater pipe organ together at the house and hearing that doorbell ring each time I found the right wires to connect before soldering
  
  
• watching him serve as an usher and deacon in our local church each Sunday
  
  
• watching him hunt down a local homeless man on Thanksgiving Day to provide a hot lunch
  

Things my Dad taught me

• Trust in the Lord
  
  
• Always be faithful
  
  
• Never eat without first asking a blessing for the meal
  
  
• Always tithe
  
  
• Serve - use your talents
  
  
• Always tell the truth
  
  
• Be confident in who you are and what you know
  
  
• Always be kind
  
  
• Be your best: always give 100% in everything you do
  
  
• Family is important
  

Here's a special song There You'll Be sung by Faith Hill that I hope will
remind you of those who have been special in your life


As posted on YouTube by giangcoicoi

What my Dad missed ...

• His 50th anniversary with Mom
  
  
• Cheering at the ballpark as the grandboys play football and baseball
  
  
• Grandparents' Day at the elementary school with the boys
  
  
• Holidays and vacations at the farm, complete with shrimp boils, homemade icecream, going to eat catfish in Rocky Creek, and fishin'
  
  
• Enjoying retirement and growing old with Mom
  
  
• Being a VIP at Fandango at Texas Motor Speedway while watching his son being recognized as the lead detective in recovering the stolen Earnhardt racing uniform, his first case as a detective
  
  
• Going to an IRL and Nascar race with me
  
  
• One last walk down that aisle to a wedding march (yes, there's still hope)
  

This month is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. It's hard for me to understand why people still smoke. It will kill you. It will first start with a nagging cough, then frequent bronchitis, being winded and short of breath, frequent pneumonia, COPD, need for periodic oxygen, dependency on oxygen, surgery and radiation for lung cancer in one lung (and then the other), and then your final days on a respirator. In spending those 3 months with Dad while he was in ICU and long term critical care on the life support he needed to breathe, I saw his respiratory care team smoking outside the hospital on break. Since those days, I have wanted to stand on a corner with a breathing machine holding a sign warning people of what can happen if they continue to smoke. Don't miss the precious moments with your family, become aware of the hazards of smoking and exposure to toxins (e.g., chemicals, asbestos). Stop smoking now and bank those minutes for precious memories for your family!

Here are some links that you may find helpful:
Lung Cancer Alliance
LungCancer.org
LungBlog

To Dad, Everywhere I am, there I know you'll be

Image credit: LungBlog