MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER

My dad was a good snuggler. With it being Fathers' Day today, I've had him very much on my mind. I loved sitting by my dad and leaning over, having him put his arm around me with my head in that soft spot just under his shoulder. That was a good place.  My father died almost 9 years ago, and I miss him. Sometimes, I worry that I'm forgetting his voice, and I close my eyes and try to hear him in my mind. I don't want to lose him in that way, too. But, I am my father's daughter in a lot of ways. I, too, am a good snuggler. I have plenty of soft places for my boys to get comfy. I, too, love to tease. I've even been known to point to an imaginary spot on the front of a shirt to get one to look down and then "boop" a nose. I've answered the question, "Do you know what?" with "Nope, but I know his brother, Who." I love home-grown tomatoes. I haven't gotten as good as he at growing them yet.

Another way that I am like my father is my weight. My father was a big man. As much as he loved sports, and as naturally athletic as he was, he was not active. He loved food. His weight was a struggle for him much of his adult life. As much as I know he loves me and was proud of me, I don't think he would be happy for me to follow in his footsteps this way.

Today, in the car, I was listening to Dr. Laura on the radio. I was reminded that not everyone had parents that

1. Loved each other
2. Loved their children and told AND showed them so
3. Did the best they knew how to do what was right and teach their children the same

I had parents that did those things. Were they perfect? Nope - not even close. But now that I'm a parent, and know how hard it is, I think they did a pretty darn good job.  And all we can do is take the good and pass it on, leave the bad behind and do our best (and hope we don't screw them up too badly along the way).

So it will be with my lifestyle. I will take the good - the snuggly part, the tease and the love of tomatoes. I will hopefully leave the overeating and inactivity behind and just do my best. And more hopefully, my boys will be even more health conscious than I and make better choices.