I posted a picture of one of the many post-it notes Dad left for us. It reads "CAN'T NEVER DID ANYTHING". Some people didn't know this about him, but Dad was very sentimental. He used to leave us little notes here and there, often on the bathroom mirror so we would see it first thing in the morning. I kept this one, "can't never did anything", as it was one of Dad's favorite sayings when we were kids. I've probably had it for almost 30 years now. It is a constant reminder to always do my best and believe in myself. And that's what Dad would have wanted; he was so encouraging, supportive, and inspirational for us growing up. He would always correct us if we said that 4-letter word, "can't". He was a great teacher and always put forth his best effort to make sure there was a lesson behind every experience.
And speaking of post-it notes, dad was a legendary creator of love-notes for our mom. Our Dad loved mom so much and always told us how special and beautiful she is. He would leave her little notes, or even sometimes hand-written poems. There is still one in the cupboard from so long ago, and all it says is "I love the Pen". (Dad gave her the nickname Pen Pigeon decades ago).
It hit me one day when I was leaving mom & dad's cabin in PC how lucky I was to have such loving parents. It was a Sunday and I was heading back to Portland.. I got in my truck and we waved goodbye (Dad doing his signature "wave" that we all know from the porch). After they went back inside I drove by the house and looked inside. I see my mom trying to check her casserole in the oven and Dad trying to distract and hug her. She was batting at him with her oven mitts, and he just kept giving her a bear hug. I could see them both laughing so hard.
Their love was truly one of a kind, and we are so fortunate to have had such a wonderful, loving, and supportive Dad. We miss him so much.