Smile4me-4ever...
LiveWell, Love Much, Laugh Often and Smile 4 ever
To Me, My Dad was the greatest man who ever existed. My Dad was everything to me and to our family. Dad was always the one who told you how he felt. You never guessed if he loved you, was proud of you, dissappointed in you. He was very open with his feelings. I guess I get that from him. Thanks Dad! Dad had the ability to make people happy. He was a good man, very generous and honest. He was loyal to those he loved and would do whatever it took to protect the ones he loved. You never had to worry when Dad was around, he was always going to make everything okay and he always did. No matter what the situation was, Dad could always be counted on to give you that extra encouragement that things would turn out good and they did. My Dad was a people person, he enjoyed life and enjoyed people. My Dad ran a service station for years. It was called "Stockon's Amoco" it was located in Riverview, Michigan. He was so proud of his station. He was a great business man and was always trying to do what he could for his customers. People loved him and still do. He was a very respected business man and people just adored him. "Big Tom" was what many called him. He was a big man, but his heart was bigger then anything else about him. His friends called him "Tommy" as well as did my mom. I used to love to watch my Dad sit and talk to his customers or just people he met on the way through his life. Never could you just take a quick trip anyplace. We always wound up chattin in an isle someplace with somene Dad knew or hell just met for that matter. *ha ha* Many times I would think, "cmon for God's sake, I wanna go home" now I would give anything to be sitting in that isle waiting on Dad to quit talking to someone. Dad loved to talk and tell stories. He loved his life and was proud of who he had become. My Dad was most proud of his family. His Wife, my Mother. He could go on and on about her and how much he loved her. Then there was My Sis and Me. I don't think there was a man more proud of his children. My Dad loved us so much and it was apparent each and everyday of our lives. I feel so honoured to have had him as my father. I was a very lucky girl. Dad never seen the bad in us, he always turned something bad into all the good we have done. He was a very good role model for us girls and for the boys we chose to bring home. I used to wonder if my boyfriend was there for me or because he loved my Dad so much. I never met a person who didn't like my Dad, most people just adored him to pieces. I understand why because there was nothing not to love about him. He was kind and gentle and caring and always put others before himself. Now my Dad did love to argue, oh boy did he love to argue. I don't but let me tell you, him and Sis would go on for hours. It was never really a bad argue, it was more like a point he was trying to make somehow. I used to think, Oh here we go again and laugh. I do have to say, I believe he won most arguements, not because he was right, but he was the most persistant. Gosh, do I miss them times. I miss many things about my Dad. His smile, his laugh, his encouragement, his hugs and kisses, his compliments, his jokes, his stories, his phone calls I miss the most. My Dad used to call me literally everyday, not just one time a day but usualy several times. Just to share a thought with you or story or just to see how his lil girl was doing. He worried about his family and always wanted to make sure they were good. At times I used to be like, what could he possibly want, I just talked to him. Never was long conversations, just quick to the point conversations and sometimes it was just to share what he seen or read or whatever. God, I miss those days the most. Our family has always been close and he was the biggest reason why I believe. Not that we arent close now, cuz our family is still very close but our lives revolved around Dad. He was the most important thing to us all and I know its because he made us all feel like we were the most important thing to him, and we all know, that we were the most important thing to him. It is so important to me now, to continue to make him proud of me and for my family to do the same. I tell my kids often how proud "Pa" would be of them and they smile because they know that in there hearts too. My Dad taught them that from the beginning and they will too carry that with them until they are gone from this world too. My Dad will be missed everyday of the rest of our lives and will never be forgotten. He will continue to live life with us and we will continue to see him smile each and everyday of our lives. That's what loving someone means. When you give someone your heart, you never take it back. You cherish it rather they are here to see it or not, because nothing dies if you have love in your heart. My Dad is inside of me, I have his smile, I have his eyes, I have his hands but most importantly I have had his love all my life, his guidaince, his hopes and dreams and most importantly his love and understanding to help me become who I am today. If it wasn't for my Mom and Dad, I wouldnt be here and if it weren't for them, I certainly wouldn't be who I am today. They are a part of me rather I like it or not, but trust me when I say, I love that they are a part of me and I love all the parts of them I carry with me each and everyday!
