I was a Daddy’s girl, wait, make that I am a Daddy’s girl.
My Dad passed away fifteen years ago at the ripe young age of 63. I found out that there is never a good age to die. So, I have decided to be thankful that we had him for all of those years.
I have written about my Dad over the years and this year as I was thinking of what to share, I thought about his gifts of living and teaching.
To understand his gifts, as they were, is to know that Daddy only finished Grade 6. His handwriting looked like that of a Physician and he loved to read and keep up with news from around the world.
We did not have a fireplace or a fireside but after a hard day’s work he loved to rest in his favorite chair with his feet on the hassock (foot rest) and read the paper from cover to cover.
In 1975, we moved into the home that Daddy designed and helped to build. It still stands today as a beacon and landmark on top of a hill.
The house sits on about 14 acres and the garage where he conducted business was at the foot of the hill. He wired the house for electricity even though there was none available in that area at the time. When electricity arrived in 1981, he was prepared.
We had a telephone and it was then that I learned that electricity and telephones are mutually exclusive – you can have one without the other.
The living room was made in an Arabian style, which I think he must have read about as he had not been to that part of the world. The ceiling was vaulted with dark stained wood – truly extraordinary in that time.
He was proud of the home but even more proud to share it with family and friends. I remember his legendary summer parties. Family and friends would come from around the island, the US, Canada and the UK to share in a weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. Looking back I can say that that was the best definition of a family reunion!
Celebrating Daddy
By Carol C. Bailey