Darling Daughter

Is there any one way to describe your Daddy? Loving, nurturing, playful, supporting, teacher, the list can go on and on. As I sit and think of my Daddy I feel all different feelings. I feel love, I feel happy but most of all I feel sad. As the two year mark arrives of my father passing, I am filled with all kinds of emotions. I feel myself going down memory lane and missing him dearly. To me there is nothing greater than the bond between a Daddy and his darling daughter. It is a very precious bond, and even though my Father has passed, I still feel that very strong bond.

I got up May 21, 2009, as any other normal day. It was the last day of kindergarten for my daughter. The day started off exciting and joyful, but I had no idea what was about to happen. My dad slept in later than normal that day, he had a cold so I chalked it up to that. It was about 10:15am and I heard him get up and go straight to the bathroom. This was strange because he normally started his coffee first. As I was sitting in the living room with my husband I heard him yelling for me from the bathroom. He was yelling, "Sandi, call 9-1-1! Hurry, get them here quick!"

The EMT's rushed into the bathroom where he still remained. As they brought him out in the wheelchair with a breathing machine and hoses and tubes, all I thought was I have never seen him so weak. My father had been a butcher for as long as I can remember. He skinned dear, butchered cows, and butchered pigs. All these jobs require a strong man. What was happening, why my dad looks so weak, that was all I could think. They took him out the ambulance and told me to follow them to the hospital and we would know more once we got there.

After the ambulance drove away I ran inside and got dressed. I jumped in the car and raced up the highway. As I drove up the highway tons of memories came flooding in. Wherever my Daddy went I was sure to follow or tag along. If he was out chopping wood, I was with him. If he was out chasing the cows in, I was with him. Even when he was butchering those same cows, I was right there with him. There wasn't anything my Daddy did that I didn't want to be a part of. As long as I was with him I was happy. From the age six to twenty-nine that never changed. Mowing the grass and gardening were the best though. I can still remember being small enough to climb on the mower with him. I always got excited when he let me drive. Even when I drove into the side of the barn, he just laughed and let me continue.

I ran into the ER, and they directed me to his room. When I arrived I was relieved to see my daddy sitting up in the bed. Just as any morning he greeted me with, "Good morning, Sandi-Girl." Then he flashed me his loving smile and then the tears started to roll in both of our eyes. We both knew that something was wrong there was no need to talk about it. The nurses started doing their job and explained