My dad was a simple man. He supported us by working as a construction worker, but was a carpenter at heart. He had four daughters, (my sister Mary died a few months after she was born), and although I’m sure he would have liked to have a son, you wouldn’t have known it. I felt that I was his favorite, and I’m sure my sisters felt that they were too.
Growing up, we tortured my dad. One Easter my mom made us all matching dresses, and my dad got a matching tie….in a bright fuchsia pink floral pattern. He wore that tie proudly. My sisters and I would run around the house in our underwear and he would tell us to put some clothes on. We had one bathroom, until he got tired of waiting to use it and finally built another bathroom upstairs. My dad was all about his family.
My dad could fix pretty much anything that was broke, and had a green thumb like you would not believe. As you walked up to my parents house, there is an apple tree to the right. Only the tree also had pears growing on it. He had a pear tree in the back yard and grafted a branch on the apple tree just to see if he could do it. It reminded me of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
My dad built all my soap molds, curing racks and my soap cutter. When I needed help wrapping soap I’d drop off boxes and he and my mom would wrap. I don’t think he understood why I wanted to have Alegna Soap®, but he did whatever I asked and made whatever I needed.
My dad didn’t like change. Neither do I. We both suffered from anxiety and depression, and it was because my dad was so open about his experience that I was able to get the help I needed. He told me once if your arm is broke, you go to the doctor and get it fixed. So if your thinking is broke you should do the same. Yes, I had a very smart father. I miss my dad and I’m grateful I had him in my life for as long as I did.
Tell me something about your dad. What does/did he do that you’re grateful for?
Yours in Gratitude,
Angela
You’re so blessed to have these beautiful memories. (Tangible also).
Thanks Emy, I am. Being able to make soap and work with the things my dad made is pretty special. It’s like he’s still here helping me every day.
What a beautiful tribute to your father. He was a very special man and you can be proud to be his daughter.
Thanks Christina, he was a wonderful man and I was blessed to be his daughter.
Sounds like a wonderful man. I remember seeing video of you two making the lace soap mold. My dad was similar. He could fix anything. That generation came with lots of common sense. Thanks for sharing.
We had so much fun making that video! Thanks for remembering and sharing.
Great writing about your father Angela. Your Dad was always very welcoming to me, as your Mom was and still is. I think your father really liked to talk – he always had a lot to say. It made it easy to talk to him. My father, now also gone, was a talker too. He was a great salesman by profession having been in Marketing for the textiles home furnishings industry and was therefore a great storyteller. My sister and I would play “rough riders” with him on Sunday mornings while my Mom made breakfast downstairs. It was our time to bond with him I guess. Once we were exhausted from “Rough Riders” I always asked him to tell my favorite tale, “The Gift of the Magi.” How magical it all sounded when he told it! Today I am an adult and it is still my favorite story. Thanks so much Angela for giving me the opportunity to remember happy memories.
I’m so glad my stories about my dad gave you the chance to reflect on some of your own happy memories with your dad. And thank you for sharing your memories of my dad with me.