Remembering All The Precious “Things” I Shared With My Dad

• Joseph Belluck
• Faces of Mesothelioma

Every morning before my husband leaves for work, he gives our daughter her first bottle of the day. At night, they spend time together that has been dubbed “Daddy in the Evening.” This is their special time, it’s their “thing.” As I watch them together, I wonder what else they will do together; it makes me think back to the relationship I had with my Dad.

Dad and I had a million “things.” We had nicknames for each other that would change periodically. Every night before I went to bed, he would carry me to his closet and help him pick out his shirt for the next day at work.

Perhaps the biggest one, and the one most famous in our family, was Saturday morning. It was a well-known fact that that was our time. My Mom would work three Saturdays a month, and we loved that (sorry, Mom!). We would get up early, head out to breakfast, and then the day was ours. So many of my favorite memories with Dad are from those lazy mornings spent driving around, talking about anything and everything. Once my husband came along, he was blessed to take part in these times as well. I think Dad loved carrying on our tradition and sharing it with the newest member of our family.

While I would give anything for one more Saturday morning with Dad, I realize how fortunate I am to have had a father willing and happy to spend that time with me. I’m proud to say that my little girl will have the same type of Dad, loving her unconditionally and making the littlest thing into the boldest memory.

Even though I still struggle with the fact that my Dad is gone, I realize that I’ll always have our “things;” the littlest things that made the biggest difference.