Happy Birthday, Dad!

Tomorrow would have been my Dad's 76th birthday. Yes, he was an April Fool baby. So appropriate! He loved to laugh and make others laugh. I'm sure he has them rolling in the aisles in heaven....

Tuesday was his funeral service. We began with a moving rendition of "Beulah Land", sung by yours truly. Following a brief comment and prayer from Dad's pastor, I played for my two sisters to sing Dad's favorite song, "One Day at a Time". They sang beautifully, and Dad would have been proud.

I had the honor of speaking for a few minutes about Dad. I spoke about his love of family, his love of fun, and his faith.

My stepmom's granddaughter and great-granddaughter closed the service with "Precious Memories". There are thousands of memories- everybody has a "Bob" story. The tears flowed freely and frequently.

We had a brief time at the cemetery, then on to the church for a full-blown Southern feed.

It took a few days to tie up loose ends in his estate, but that has all been completed as far as I know. So now, we are left with the empty spot that Dad used to fill. I don't have anyone to call at 10:00 am and 9:00 pm anymore. I love my Dad, and miss him terribly. But I cannot tell you how much fun I had with my sisters and their spouses! We know where Dad is today, and that we'll see him again- and that frees us to be ourselves. We had a great time together!

I'll take a few days to recover and heal a little before I write more normal stuff. So for now, hug your family. Have a good laugh, know where you're going.

Life is good! Really, really good.