An Ode to My Dad

Once there sat a big brown chair. This chair was not filled with stuffing but with memories. It was filled with stories told every night while a little girl and her dad sat in the chair. It was filled with popcorn from movies watched together. It was filled with grape pop, which the little girl was careful not to backwash! It was filled with spaghetti and meatballs, which was the dad's specialty. It was filled with spruce tree needles from the many trips out into the forest to select the perfect Christmas tree.

As the little girl got bigger, she decided she didn't need the chair anymore. She grew up, moved away and started a family of her own. But there was always a longing to get back to the chair. Now, she has a little girl of her own who fits perfectly into the chair with her Pappa. It is a new chair, red not brown. But the stuffing in it is being replaced. It won't be long until it, too, is stuffed with memories.

The girl now smiles as she watches herself in her daughter, curled up with her Pappa for a bedtime story. She wants to say thanks to her dad, who has always loved her even when she didn't love herself. She wants to thank him for always making room in the chair for her, even when she was supposed to be in bed.

Thanks Dad. I love you.