Oh, my daddy. It was our heaven here on earth with you...nothing will ever be the same now that you are gone. You would frown at me for saying that - and you would tell me that you will always be all around us, all the time. In the mountains, in the trees, in the streams and lakes...and in our hearts. In all of our hearts, and souls. You taught me so much. You opened my eyes and my heart to nature, you taught me to love and appreciate the outdoors.
You took me on many a "forced march", although I as grew older, the forced marches became wonderful hikes. And cross country skiing! You saw the abysmal failure that I was at downhill skiing, so you turned me on to hiking on skis. We hit some beautiful trails on the mountain! You introduced me to the amazing adventures that could be had through books. You taught me that it is ok to be silly (but I have never been as good at it as you were!) You taught me how to be kind and to love animals. You allowed me to have dogs, cats, and horses - even though you were horribly allergic to them all! Oh, and snakes. And rabbits. And Guinea Pigs, birds...and rats. You went to watch me at horse shows. You took me to heavy metal concerts! You introduced me to John Denver, to classical music, to silly tv shows like the Smothers Brothers and Monty Python. You blessed me with your gift of listening. You taught me to be accepting of people, even when I didn't understand or agree with them. Most importantly, you taught me how to love. How to accept others for what and who they are. How to forgive. You showed me how important family is, how deep that love goes. You always loved us, no matter what. You loved us. Thank you for being my daddy. My Papa, Pops, Padre, Dad, Daddy. I love you. Thank you for being in my life and blessing me with so much of yourself....