Monday, April 30, 2012

Thanks Dad....

As a young girl growing up I have countless memories of my father....building and making things, fixing many things around the house, and all the while dragging me around with him! At the time I hated it. Being woken up early in the morning to hold some drywall while he hammers it into place. Hearing over and over, "now remember this, it is very important." All the while thinking...."yeah right, when am I ever going to need to know this?!"

The building and fixing lessons were something I would smile at and tolerate. Truthfully, I rather enjoyed learning things like that but, the one thing I hated with a passion was doing the dishes. See we were the family with a dishwasher, just a broken one. And for some reason or another it was never as high on the "fix list" as I thought it should be. So, day after day I would hear him say...."Cassandra do your dishes. Cassandra we do not have a maid!" Soon my eyes would roll automatically at the sound of my name paired up with the word dishes. I did everything I could to get out of doing them. Things like eating without a plate, and of course get told that was not ok. Use a paper towel instead of plate and be reminded how costly that was. So needless to say I did dishes daily by hand for a LONG time.

Now fast forward a few years....living in Africa. I can not count how many times I have thought of how thankful I was for my father teaching me... (insert name of lesson). Really, so many things I thought were pointless as a kids were truly valuable lessons. I can check my own oil and tire presser. I can hang photos and art without needing help.  Making small repairs around the house can be done by me. And the most important one of all....I am used to living without a dishwasher!

Moving overseas is hard. There are many many things to get use to. So many things that you have to relearn, but thanks to good ole' dad I learned many well before I needed to. He could have thought of never teaching me these things. I mean most fathers don't. Teaching a son is one thing but your daughter.....not so often. So, all of this to say....THANK YOU DAD! I know you never thought I would need these lessons because I would live in Africa someday. You just showed me because you love me and wanted me to be a strong and independent girl, not a little princess, like so many you saw running around. God truly blessed me with a father who loves his little girl but never treated her like one. I am so sorry for all the times I have frustrated you or never took the time to really listen to your teaching. Just know now....1/2 way around the world I am thankful for you! Thanks for all the love and lessons over the past 28 years.

Love you papa smurf! xoxox

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