It happens every year, whether we want it or not. Most of the time we do. And, even if it does kind of rub our noses in the fact that Boo, our daughter, is having another birthday and she’s not here to celebrate it, we are still going to remember the day, celebrate her life, and be happy that we have this reminder. She was born on October 4th, 1989. Yeah, I know, the same year as Taylor Swift. (Sorry about that. I just had to say it. I’m a Taylor fan).
What is it that I miss most about our daughter? Well, besides saying everything, the thing I miss the most is her persistent nature, the way she always pushed you until she got her own way. She was a wonderful daughter, and I had a constant need to protect her from anything and everything with my “by the seat of my pants parenting.” Honestly, I did the best that I could. In case you can’t tell, I miss her very much. We ALL miss her being with us. I think it makes us feel incomplete as a family. It always will. Anyway, The Other Day…, while writing this, I kept having the same memory come up, so that’s what the rest of this particular TOD is going to be about.
It was summer, and I don’t remember what year it was, but it was just Alison and myself at home. Her mother had taken her brother to New York for a student exchange program that our local 4-H program sponsored. Boo and I had just finished painting our kitchen, and I thought that we both needed a reward. So, I told her to go clean herself up, and I would do the same, and then I would take her out to a nice dinner.
Well, she made a big deal about it by dressing up, so, I did too! We went to a Shoney’s in Fairmont and had a wonderful meal. You should know that, truthfully, back then, I wasn’t the master chef I am today. Boiling water was about the best I could do. But, as the memories keep coming back to me, I remember how “grown-up” she looked and how I was so proud of the young lady who was sitting across from me at the restaurant. Back then, she didn’t think about boys or dating. Nope, she was Daddy’s Girl, and she seemed to relish being on a date with her dad. What could be better? Boy, I wish I had the ability to go back and spend five more minutes with her, knowing what I know now.
As I sit here remembering those days and wiping the tears from my eyes, I will continue to think about my daughter and how much she is missed. As I have mentioned several times, on many different occasions, her favorite holiday of the entire year was Halloween, even though it is more of a celebration than a holiday. If you get a chance to celebrate this year, maybe you would consider putting up an extra ornament or decal in commemoration of our little girl, who would be 31 this year. That’s right, just like the date of October 31st, the day we celebrate “All Hallows Eve.” Somehow, I think she would like that.
Hey, thank you for reading this one. I enjoyed sharing my memories with you. Until the next time, think good thoughts, and I will talk to you soon. MUH!! MUH!! The extra one is for our daughter. We miss you, baby girl! Love, Sean, Christy, Sabrina, Braydon, your loving Mother, and last, but certainly not least, your adoring Dad.
