I’m thankful to have had a father for the
first 27 years of my life. But 27 years are not enough to pack in all the
things a father and daughter can and should do together. Here are nine things
I’d love to do with Dad if I could. Feel free to steal any of these ideas or
come up with a list of your own to do with your dad (or with your kid if you’re
a father) not just this Father’s Day weekend, but throughout the year. Most of
them cost little or nothing.
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| Beautiful Crescent Lake in Portage la Prairie |
#1. Go for a walk.
My dad left us before the
beautiful walking path around our Crescent Lake was created. I sure would love
to show it to him.
#2. Cook something.
Dad had his specialty creations
from the kitchen: apple kuchen, potato pancakes made from hand-grated potatoes,
and venison roasted with lemon slices. I’d get Dad to teach me his secrets for
these delicious dishes.
#3. Go shopping.
I don’t recall ever shopping
with Dad, but I think it would be fun to pick out something for him (probably a
tool) and something for me (probably an outfit). This could be followed by…
#4. Go for ice cream.
Dad loved soft ice
cream, while I prefer hard. We could go somewhere that offers both. He’d
chuckle when it melted on my chin and I’d say, “Before you laugh too hard, better
check your mustache.”
#5. Help with a Do It Yourself project.
Dad
was a bit of a MacGyver when it came to jerry-rigging solutions. I could have
learned a lot if I’d paid closer attention to some of the things Dad fixed or
created. I like to think I’d take advantage of the opportunity if I had it now.
#6. Plant a Tree.
The baby evergreens Dad planted
in his backyard in 1981 now tower above my sister’s house. I could have been
out there helping him, but I wasn’t. How much more precious those trees would
be now if I had. If he were here, I’d get him to help me plant a tree in my
yard, and cherish the memory every time I looked at it.
#7. Interview him about his childhood.
It’s
ironic that the books I’m writing now take place during the WWII era, when my
dad served in the Canadian Army. I could sure use his memory if I had access to
it! I’d also love to ask him things like: Is there anything you regret not
having asked your parents? What was the happiest moment of your life? What are
you most proud of? How did your experience in the military mold
you as a person? What is your earliest memory? Who were your friends when you were growing
up? What was your favorite thing to do for fun? What was school like for you as
a child? What were your best and worst subjects? You get the idea.
#8. Play a Duet.
Dad couldn’t read a note,
but he played the accordion in his early days and the piano when I knew him,
all by ear. Decades after taking piano lessons myself, I picked up the E-flat
alto saxophone. A piano/saxophone duet only works if you have music written in
two different keys… or if the pianist plays by ear. Dad would have been able to
pick up by ear whatever I was playing on my sax and make it work. Or at least,
we’d sure have fun trying!
#9 Pray.
One thing I seem to have inherited
from my father is the inability to rein in the tears while praying. Dad knew
something truly powerful occurs when we pray, because we are approaching the
throne of our Creator and the King of kings. If I could hear my father praying
for me, my children, and my grandchildren by name, I would be reduced to a
puddle on the floor. The best kind.
I hope some of these spark ideas for you. Happy
Father’s Day!
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