Wednesday, April 20, 2011

If Bob Marley and Roy Clark Had a Baby

Today's post is for my late Dad, Mick.

Boyyyyyyyy, do we ever miss you around here....

My Dad was a character. Always easy going, he was a little like Bob Marley.

 - But with cowboy boots, even in the summer
 - and a cig instead of a joint
 - and a plaid shirt instead of rasta braids

ok, so I am having a tough time getting there too.

He actually looked like Roy Clark.

Dad's evil twin, Roy - Its uncanny.


Ok, so not looks-wise, but in Marley-esque fashion my Dad definitely didn't worry about a thing and thought every little thing was gonna be all right.

And he made you believe it too, even when you knew you shouldn't. He would say "welllllll, sis..." And then he would try to feed you bacon or chex mix. And somehow, you felt better... for a moment.

If you had real trouble, you had better go see my mother, who was about as real as one gets and still is. She would set you on the right path and give you a little shove in the right direction. Not really a sugar-coater, that one. I am more like her. A problem solver.

But I would still float past my Dad for a fix of his unwavering confidence in my ability to dig out of the shit situation I was in, and in that glow I would believe I could do it too. My siblings and I have the highest self esteem imaginable for being so hopelessly average.

He was easy to laugh and rarely got angry. He was a terrible disciplinarian to both kids and dogs. Every person thought he was my Dad's best friend. I secretly think all of his kids thought we were his individual favorite. Except that couldn't be, because I was absolutely his favorite.

Wasn't I?

It's been 4 years, Dad. We ARE all right. But the sun shines just a *tiny* bit dimmer without you in this world.

9 comments:

Danger Boy said...

Beautiful memorial. And the next time 3 little birds perch by your doorstep, you'll know.

The Onion said...

Only if they are smoking and eating bacon...

i'mtransplanted said...

Very sweet memorial, friend. I know you miss him so much, he was a wonderful man. He lives on in so much that you say and do. =)

The Onion said...

like my bacon addiction. :-)

Reptiles in the Ice Cream said...

I love the part of him he left behind, you & Twin. I wish I would have known him better. Seems all my memories he looked like a pickle or Elvis.

Kelly DeBie said...

This is great! Having just recently lost my Dad, I get what you mean. I'm still in the "doing everything for the first time without him phase", and have decided that it sucks. But he wouldn't want it to suck. Sounds like your Dad and mine would have gotten along famously. I too was totally the favorite. ;)

The Onion said...

Sorry about your Dad, DeBie. Being in this club sucks.

Kristi Tuttle said...

Love the blog!! It made me laugh and tear up!!! I can still hear your dad's laugh in my head when I saw that picture of him!!

Colbie said...

Love the tribute. Thank you for sharing.