Happy Birthday, Papa!

Today my Daddy turned 63 years old. Man is that hard to type. Much like the desire to freeze your children when they're in the super cute baby ages, or to freeze a moment in time you'd like to cherish forever, I wish I could freeze my parents from aging. I'd gladly age instead just to have more time with them. Sometimes the realization of how fleeting this life is is staggering. And yet we continue with our daily lives, performing the same menial tasks as the day before, seemingly oblivious that time is running out.

While I don't think I'll ever feel like I've spent enough time with loved ones, the hard work and dedication my Dad has put into everything he does is a great example that will stick with me my whole life.

As long as I can remember we had a menagerie of animals and a massive garden at home. I'd get about as excited as Dad would about the new birds he planned on ordering, what animals we were getting next summer, and what new vegetable or fruit tree we were going to try to grow. I remember multiple varieties of turkeys, chickens, quail, pheasants, pigs, sheep, cows, goats (all of them named, of course).

When I was in high school my parents bought 40 acres of woods/CRP land that they built a cabin on. It gave them more opportunity for other hobbies, and providing food for the family. Many lessons were learned working alongside Dad. He taught me how to use power tools, how to rewire a heater, all about living and growing things, the basics of carpentry, and was my main teacher of Latin and Algebra.

Dad taught me that just because I was the only girl did not mean I was going to be spoiled rotten, and taught me to pull my own weight. The phrases, "It's a long way from your heart," and "This too shall pass," in his voice still come to me this day when I need to move past things.

Often working long hours in unpleasant weather was just something that had to be done. Dad worked most of my existence as a mail carrier. He went out with a bang (or crack?) last winter when he broke his ankle on his mail route. With plans to retire less than two months from then, the broken ankle effectively had him home earlier than expected. A couple weeks before last Christmas we had a scare when Dad suffered a pulmonary embolism. Thank God he didn't also suffer a stroke, though for several months after he experienced episodes of a-fibrillation.

The second child and oldest son in a family of eleven children, my Dad (Stephen James) helped on the farm he was raised on until he joined the Army right after high school. He had not yet deployed when my Grandpa had a devastating accident involving a corn picker, crippling one of his arms, and Dad was discharged to return home to the farm to help out. Dad worked several different jobs (including carpenter) before finding the postal job in the late 1980's. He met my Mom in 1980 as blogged about here, and they had three beautiful (ahem) children..... I remember a lot of building projects growing up...the new garage he built with help from his brothers, the chicken shed, re-roofing the woodshed. He designed and helped build their new house in 2006. There are so many things I don't have room to add, that would require a book to cover in sufficient detail.

This afternoon the boys and I went over to my parents' and had supper with them (uninvited...yes, I am that daughter). We are so blessed to have time to spend yet with my Daddy. If my boys can learn a fraction of what I did from him, I'll be happy.

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you!

Dad and my uncle Tim, late 1960's

Dad's graduation picture

Dad, me, and Wanno 1982-3

 Dad and me around 1986

Dad's deer this year.