A friend of mine whose dad passed away several years ago recently posted “I wish my dad had taken his phone with him.” I feel exactly the same way. For no discernible reason, I’ve really been missing my dad lately. I haven’t taken his number out of my phone even though he died over nine months ago. He was the wisest person I know with the greatest sense of humor. He was my biggest cheerleader and encourager. I miss him calling me after Aggie football games to talk about the games. He gave me my love of football when we’d come home every Sunday after church and watch the Houston Oilers. (If you know the history of the Houston Oilers, those were not always winning years.) Several years ago when Westlake was playing in the playoffs, he would drive with me to San Marcos or San Antonio to go to the games. I miss seeing him every morning when he’d come over to pick up my dog and take her to his house so she wouldn’t have to be alone all day. I miss seeing him sitting in his chair when I’d come over to his house to pick her up. I miss my dad. I’m scared going into the holiday season without him for the first time. I know this is normal, and I know that missing him won’t ever really go away. I know all these things but I still wish he’d taken his phone with him and I could pick mine up and call him. I heard a really inappropriate joke the other day that would have made him double over and do the wheezy laugh.
In the last two months, I’ve had one friend come into my home and steal medications, and another person I thought I could trust enough to live in my mom’s home, steal property from her and sell it. We live in a world filled with broken people. We live in a world filled with bad people. But we also live in a world full of good, loving, kind people. I’ve reached the age where my true friend group is relatively small. My dad used to say that you really only needed six friends in your life – enough to act as pallbearers at your funeral. My dad was definitely one of the good guys. When my sister and I discovered the guy who had been stealing from my mom’s house, I got really frustrated with myself and thought that my dad would never have let that happen. Then I remembered a man who my dad had trusted with some investments many years ago, who squandered my dad’s money away. My dad told me that, while he was angry at the guy and frustrated that he’d allowed himself to be taken advantage of in that way, he’d learned a lesson from it. My dad was a big believer in learning lessons. He used to say making mistakes was part of life, screwing up was part of life, and even when – especially when – it hurts, make sure you learn something from it. Make sure you learn the lesson so you don’t repeat it in the future.
What is the acceptable amount of time before you take your dad’s number out of your phone? If there’s any kind of rule for that, can you let me know?
