Happy Birthday Daddy

As many of you may know, my father died when I was 12, just 5 months shy of my 13th birthday. 13 years isn't very long, especially as I have become older. I will admit my memories of my father are sketchy. Unfortunatley many of the memories are the more recent ones...watching cancer devour him...he was the same age I am now when he died and believe me it is too young!

In the few short years I had with him he left an indellable impression on my life and heart that time can not erase. I remember a very soft spoken man with a really big smile. He had an insatiable love for The Lord and I was literally at the church or some church function every time the doors were open. He loved music, football, baseball and boxing...which I never understood the boxing part, but I definitely caught the love of the others!

He was not a big man, probably 5'9", but he had a big personality. People just loved him. And, Lord have mercy, he was sooo handsome! His eyes were so blue...like Paul Newman's! He fell in love with my mother at first sight and loved her until the moment he took his last breath. I always said I had "delusions of grandeure" where marriage was concerned, because I never heard them argue...ever. I really thought all relationships were like theirs. If only they could be....

His birthday is today, he would have been 69. It is hard to believe he has been gone for 28 years, but he has. He would have LOVED Brent Morse...and oh what he would have thought of Cole and Anna Lauren! I hope that he would like how I turned out, however bumpy the road was to get where I am now. Not one day goes by that I don't think of him.

As the years increase and the memories fade, I am so thankful that I was conceived and he and my mother were the people chosen to adopt me and raise me. Life was not easy growing up without him and there are days, even today, I wonder what it would be like to go to him for advise. But, I have been given my subtle little reminders of him...I think he left me a great legacy and taught me a lot about life in a very short period of time...

Don't take your life for granted

Don't take your spouse for granted

Love your babies

Say "I love you" everyday, multiple times

Love God

Praise God

Sing to God

Be punctual

Be neat

Be kind

Pray

Fight to the end...

Happy Birthday, Donald Joseph Grenier, you were a fantastic, husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, friend, co-worker and above all Christian. I wish you could have walked me down the aisle and held your beautiful grandchildren. Fished and hunted with Cole and Brent and hung out with Anna Lauren. I wish you could have been there to kick the mean boyfriends in the butt and been there when I needed someone to cry to...but you were...in spirit. And as cliche' as it sounds I know you are watching over us and you were there for every moment cheering from heaven..

All my love,

Monica