Today dad and I enjoyed another wonderful lunch out at Perkins. Mom mentioned as he was getting out of the car that he had a gift for me. Dad handed me a little zip lock baggie that contained 2 cookies. Told me these go great with coffee. That’s my dad, always thinking of others. My sister-in-law bought him these stroopwafel cookies at Christmas time and he has gone on and on about how yummy they are dipped into his coffee. I felt pretty gosh darn special that he thought of me and shared. (Silver lining).
However, this isn’t the only time my dad has made me feel special by giving me one of his fabulous gifts. Years ago when I was a young teen, my dad went away on a business trip. When he returned, he handed me a book of poems titled For a special teenager. Towards the end of the book, there is a poem titled "I'm on Your Side and I Always Will Be." Dad underlined part of the poem "...I know that things don't always go as planned, and plans don't always work out as soon as they should..." I can not recall specifics of that time, but I imagine being 16 years old and having had my heart broke or having been picked over for something in school. I imagine my dad standing in an airport and picking this book up off the shelf in the gift shop and thinking about me and what ever it was I was going through in that moment and wanting to take it all away if he could. I still have that book of poems on my bookshelf and get it out from time to time and read. Another classic gift was the feathered egg. It is the most gawdy looking thing I have ever seen in my life. Think of a Chinese lantern covered in feathers. That is what it reminds me of. But more so, it reminds me that my dad saw it and thought of me. Every time I sit at my dining room table, I glance over to the curio cabinet where it hangs proudly and smile. My most recent fabulous gift from my dad was a green tote bag and gray dress coat. Right before Christmas, he and mom were shopping at Kohl’s. Mom said he came up to her with this coat and said, “Vanessa will look nice in this” and that I also needed a bag to go with it. So, with that, he walked over to the purses and picked out a green tote bag. My dad knows me well!
We finished up our meal that ended with a pancake and a piece of lemon meringue pie, just like our last lunch together. Dad reached into his wallet and gave me $40. He said mom told him he had to buy this time. I told dad I would go pay the bill for him while he used the restroom. I asked the cashier for change for one of the twenties. I went back to the table and handed dad his change ($20 bill and two $10’s). He didn’t question the amount handed back and put it back in his wallet. Now he couldn’t say he didn’t pay, my mom could feel good that he listened, and I can pay for my dad’s lunch. Looks like a silver lining to me.
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