Dimes from Heaven

It's not long now and it will be another New Year's Eve. I thought I'd share a memory of my daddy. I have been thinking about him a lot this past year and every year since his death on April 5, 2002. My dad went to the hospital "just not feeling well" and discovered he had acute Leukemia. The doctors gave him two weeks to live. He lived two weeks and one day. It was just like my dad to live that extra day," just to show them." I loved and still do love him so much. He died with such bravery and concern for his family. I remember his love of conversation. He loved to laugh and joke, he loved to be around others and tell his "stories" and "pull your leg". I don't ever remember him complaining about anything. He was honest and caring and friendly with everyone. At his funeral it was standing room only... he had that many friends who loved him. He'd flirt with the ladies. Even up until the end of his life he flirted with his nurses. He had type 2 Diabetes and loved his "sweets". Occasionally he would sneak a cookie and just grin when he got caught. He'd sit with my husband by the fire in my living room and tell him old hunting stories and jokes for hours.

The last time my daddy was in my home was New Year's Eve 2001. He and my mother came up and we played penny ante poker which was our tradition. My son James and his new girlfriend Donna were also home from Louisiana that year. Dad would pocket every dime off the table as soon as they appeared on the table. He saved dimes. His explanation for his quest to obtain all the dimes was so that "he could say he had every dime he ever made." Then he'd grin in his own unique way. My mother and dad were very competitive when it came to cards. They would be very careful to keep their money separate so at the end of the game they could tally up "who had the most money." Of course Daddy would not let us know how many dimes he had collected. He replaced each one of them on the table with like change so the dimes were now his to save.

I can still see him sitting at my kitchen table playing cards and laughing, sliding those dimes out of the pot and putting them in his pocket.

Strange how after his death I started finding dimes in the oddest places. I would go into the bathroom where just moments before the floor was perfectly clean to now find a shiny dime. I'd get out of my car and find a dime in the seat. I've found dimes while out walking and just all kinds of places. I now pocket them and think, "Hello, Daddy...thanks for reminding me you're still around watching over me. I love you."

Daddy keep sending the dimes. I now save them ...so, I can say "I have every dime my daddy has given to me."