Daddy was so excited to get his drawing stuff! He couldn't think of what to draw, so he told me he'd draw me a picture and asked what I wanted him to draw for me. I told him a lighthouse, because I collect lighthouses.
Often, when I arrived at Mom and Daddy's for a visit after work, I would find Daddy at the kitchen table working on my lighthouse while Mom cooked dinner. The process was slow, partly because Daddy was so methodical, partly because the dementia made it hard for him to concentrate.
One day, I went to see him and it seemed to me that the lighthouse was finished. I was so excited, but Daddy said no, it wasn't finished. One day, some new birds appeared in the sky, and a cute little boat floating on the water. I would frequently ask if he was finished, and always he said, "Not yet."
He stopped working on the lighthouse, because the nasty dementia robbed him of any interest in most of his hobbies. Around my birthday and Christmas, I would hint that I would just LOVE for him to frame the lighthouse picture and give it to me for my gift. He always said, "It's not finished yet."
When Daddy died, I searched Mom's house for the lighthouse. I looked everywhere I knew to look, but no lighthouse. I was disappointed that I couldn't find it. One evening, as I was leaving Mom's house, Aunt Pat yelled for me to wait. "We found the lighthouse!" she called out. I was so happy! For that moment, it felt like my Daddy was looking out for me, reminding me that his unconditional love for me will exist on earth as long as I have breath.
The lighthouse was still in the drawing pad, and I took it home and it sat in a pile of photo albums. I had every intention to frame it, but other things took priority.
Two months later, Brad asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day, and I told him that more than anything, I wanted my lighthouse picture to be matted and framed. So, on the Saturday before Mother's Day, Brad and I went to Hobby Lobby and I picked out the mat and frame that I wanted for my beloved drawing.
It turned out beautifully!
I was a little upset that Daddy never signed it, but I decided that I could get my friend, Mr. Montgomery, to make a brass plate to put at the bottom. Sweet Mr. Montgomery asked me to send him one of Daddy's drawings that he signed, and he is going to scan the image and engrave Daddy's "signature" on the plate! I can't wait to see the finished product. Such a special way to honor the sweet memory of my Daddy!
No comments:
Post a Comment