She pointed and said, "Papa!"
She was only 4 months old my my Dad died and I knew that she couldn't possibly remember him from that far back being so little.
I asked her if she saw Papa or visited with him.
She said, "Yes" and then, pointing to Michael said, "Daddy Papa". Meaning, Dale, whom she has never met. Just to make sure, I asked her if she's seen Daddy's Papa, and she said "Yes."
I asked her what he was doing.
"Church."
Temple or missionary work, maybe.
I asked her what my Daddy was doing and she said,
"Gra-ma."
Mom is going through a trial by fire at the moment the details of which are very personal and since we're not the type to trumpet our drama, that will suffice. It's no surprise that Grandpa would be actively engaged on her behalf right now.
Not too long after that morning we made a trip to the store. We were in the parking lot and I was getting Elle unloaded. There was an older man and his wife a few spots over getting out of their car too. Elle's eyes got really wide and she started pointing and yelling, "Papa! Papa!" I turned around and caught my breath. The man she was pointing to had the same height and stature as my father, had a full grey beard just like my father and was even wearing a blue plaid shirt like he so often wore. The couple was looking back at us now wondering what all the fuss was about. I turned to Elle and said gently, "No, that's not Papa. But it sure does look like him, doesn't it?"
Today is my Dad's birthday. He would have been 59. It strange that even though we are approaching the two year anniversary of his death he really doesn't seem that far away. But, it's strange to look at Elle and Hunter and realize that they are now where Hunter and Ethan were when it happened. They were so little.
Happy Birthday Daddy. The boys sung the Happy Birthday song to you on the way home from church when I told them what today was. I miss your hugs.
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