Happy Birthday Dad

Today would be my Dad's birthday if he were still with us. I am doing good today. Better than I thought I might be with Miss Jorja being here. I still wanted to share some thoughts with my Dad. 

Dear Dad, 

Happy Birthday. I can't ever think of your birthday without thinking about the year that I called you and sang you "Happy 50th Birthday" and you were only 49. You know you loved that call! 

This year you missed a few things. Your grandchild was born. She is so adorable. Mom says she arches her eyebrow like you always did and it makes her think of you when she does that. My mother-in-law says Jorja favors you and grandpa. I wish you could have been here to meet her. I wish you could hold her and pester her like you always did me. Even though you may not have been too fond of the "grandpa" idea, I think you would have melted when you met her. She has a way of making the men in her life melt. 

Even though you aren't here, she will still learn about you and how important you were/are to her mommy. She will hear the fun stories (us running out of gas on the way home from Palm Springs on the motorcycle), the sweet stories (always shopping with me, wearing a tux for my wedding without a word of complaint), the neat stories and the other little things that made you, you. She will grow up riding in the 50 just like I did. She will grow up being picked on by her daddy the way you always picked on me. In good fun of course. 

Mostly dad, I wish you were here to talk to. It is so hard to talk to grandpa on the phone because he can't hear me. I don't think our communication is as good without our middle man to translate anymore. I do send him letters and pictures to keep him in the loop the best I can. He has fully embraced "Great Grandpa" status and is very proud of it! I am so glad. 

I love you dad and cherish the time we had. 

Love, Melissa