Well, it is the Tuesday after Memorial Day. For those of you who do not have children, let me say that weekends and holidays are like any other day. Sleeping late is a thing of the past for me. Not that I was ever one to sleep late anyway. But I now get up at 5:45 whether it is a work day or holiday. Somehow Abby came with her own built in alarm clock.

Many of you know that Memorial Day is not a holiday I like at all. Nine years ago, my father died on Memorial Day. It was the most difficult day and time of my life. And to this day, Memorial Day is still a day that I would rather just go on by. This year was really no exception for me in that regard. But I did cherish having a whole day to just play with my daughter. I spent the day thinking how very much my dad would have adored Abby. She is so much like him in so many ways. She loves to "read", loves to go on walks, loves dogs, loves to laugh, loves to "dance". These are all things my dad loved too. To me, Abby is the very symbol of loving and living life. So was my dad.

I don't mean this to be a sad post. Time does make the pain and sadness of losing someone close more bearable. After awhile, we tend to remember the happy and fun times rather than just the end of one's life. I can still hear my dad's very contagious laugh. I still remember him trying to convince me to jitter bug with him when he came home from work. I can still picture him with a book in his hand even if he only had a few minutes to read. I still remember my dad at each and every school event. I still remember taking long walks with my dad around the Berry College campus as he listened to my young philosophy about life. I still remember how incredibly excited he got about Christmas.

Abby will never know her grandfather except in stories but I do hope I can teach her many of the things my father taught me. He taught me to take the time to listen to both sides of a story. He taught me to always try to help others. He taught me that if you can laugh at yourself, life really becomes more fun. He taught me to always follow through when you make a promise to do something. He taught me to avoid rocks when mowing the grass. He taught me that driving an old car you bought with your own money is far better than driving a new car someone gave you. He taught me that you can always find a place to read a book.

For anyone reading this journal, I promise I will return to the usual stories of Abby next time. And I do have lots of good Abby stories. She is one funny kid. But for now, I sign off thinking about my dad. I do know Abby has one incredibly special guardian angel in the form of Larry Green watching out for her.