Every morning, I make his coffee and get the newspaper from the porch. He eats an orange and a banana, while he has his one cup of black coffee and reads the front page, the obituaries and Family Circus. Then he heads to the living room to say his rosaries and man the remote. (The remote control is never more than a few inches within his reach.)Every Saturday, he hands me $10 and his winners. I take them to a convenience store not far from the house where I pick up his lottery tickets for the week. I also purchase our weekly supply of Diet Dr. Pepper. Panic ensues if I have Saturday morning plans that don't mesh with this weekly errand.
He is a television connoisseur of America's Got Talent, St. Louis Cardinals baseball, Blues hockey and reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. He seeks out new Hallmark movies for my mom and no matter how many times it airs, he will watch Ocean's Eleven EVERY SINGLE TIME it is on TV.
Some days, he will ask for a cheese sandwich for lunch. Other days, he prefers braunschweiger. Always drinks water at dinner. Never helps clean up. Unless there are big pots to wash. Then he will dry but only for my mom. If I am cleaning, I am on my own.
He worked for 56 years before he retired, starting his career at the age of eleven. That's why he never wanted my sister and I to work as teenagers. He broke his back for us so my mom could stay home and we could have fun.
My favorite memories of us when I was little are a little blurry. I don't remember much but I do remember rocking with him in his blue chair and getting up before dawn to go to our grocery store with him. We would leave the house around 4:30 AM and when we got to the store, he would stack potato sacks up in the back room near the heating vent so I could go back to sleep for a while. Then he would let me have the run of the store. People thought he spoiled me but, in my opinion, he was teaching me that I really could DO anything I wanted to do. He never told me something wasn't possible.
He was determined to make sure I went to college. We didn't have the money for it but he knew we could get there if our grades were good enough or if we worked hard playing sports. My sister was the smart one. I played ball. My dad came to every one of my volleyball and basketball games. Even in college, he showed up as often as possible. I can still hear him yelling, "Way to go!" When my sister and I graduated from college, even though it took me a long time, he was so proud.
After he retired, my dad spent his days taking care of my nephew who is his new pride and joy.
Before the walker became a primary assistant in his mobilization, he fished often and one day per month he ate lunch with his friends from high school. Now he mostly stays in the house. Sometimes you will catch him on the front porch in his socks. Putting on shoes seems silly when he isn't going far. If you see him, you should absolutely say hello and, if you have time, stop for a conversation. He would love that.
This month we celebrate his 77th birthday. What a milestone! So many accomplishments behind him. At least 1000 more viewings of Ocean's Eleven in his future.
Happy birthday, Dad!
