Dad was serious about integrity, loyalty, and love but he had some funny quirks that made life in the Lynch house a fun place to be. Dad loved sorghum! He always had a can with a pry-off lid sitting in the pantry and as often as he could get mom to make biscuits, he'd indulge. It was a process - put butter on the plate, stir it until it was soft, add the sorghum, stir again until it was just the right color, "sclup up". In fact, at one of our last Lynch family parties before he passed away, he gathered the grandkids and taught them how to do it just right. It was fun to watch him!
He also loved sardines, much to Mom's dismay. As often as he could get away with it, he'd open up a can and eat them with saltines. Mom would be simultaneously airing out the house and making comments about the stinky smell. Dad was not deterred. He liked what he liked...
The other thing he was pretty adamant about was dessert, the heavier the better. Once when I was about 10, I made a coconut cake for his birthday. It took me all day and I made a huge mess - six layers, coconut creme filling in between each, with a whole bag of coconut piled on top as decoration! The thing probably weighed 30 pounds and he said it was the best thing he'd ever eaten! I was so proud! I couldn't lift it, but I was proud! He Loved His Sweets!! I could always count on him to bring home candy and got my "secret stash" idea from him! Mom quickly learned not to try to pass off anything made with pudding or jello as dessert - he wouldn't have it! Dinner was not dinner until you had dessert - and if there were no cake or cookies, he'd raid his stash to find something. When Dad got sick, he really wanted a chocolate shake from MacDonalds so we snuck one into his hospital room. The nurse almost had a fit about us ruining his "nutrition" but I looked at her, pointed at him, and said "What my daddy wants, my daddy is going to get!" She huffed out, but Dad smiled! It ended up being the last thing he ever ate!
Funny how those memories warm my heart. There are so many of them, a lifetime full, that it's hard to stop the flood once the gates open. I guess the bottom line was that Dad just believed that if life is going to be worth it, you better have some fun and indulge a little - not to the expense of anyone else, but in harmless ways that bring a smile. We spend so much time and energy slaving through our days without ever enjoying them. We work and struggle to get and maintain a bunch of "stuff" that ends up in boxes or at Good Will. Dad was happy with clothes from Sears and a small travel trailer that we could go to Panguich Lake every summer with. He never cared about outward impressions or labels. He didn't need or want fancy stuff - He was what you saw he was and didn't strive to be anything else...just make sure he was surrounded with people he cared about AND had dessert and his Okie heart was happy!!
And now he's enjoying both. He's surrounded with loved ones and is enjoying the "dessert" that we all should make sure to end this life with; he's spending eternity with Jesus! Dad would be the first one to shout out to us down here, "Hey be sure to keep your fork, cause the best is yet to come!!" And it is!
No comments:
Post a Comment