*Walks in like a robot and lies down*
Hi Mr. Blog. How are you today?
I'm trying not to think of my step-dad's birthday today but it is hard.
He has been in heaven drinking coffee with my mom and doing crossword puzzles for
six years now already.
The heart surgeon said he'd be fine after a few days.
He wasn't fine.
He died.
I miss him so much.
Mom's birthday is the 19th.
I miss her so much.
Mom and Jim were divorced when I was two so I don't remember living with my real dad.
When we moved from my baby house in Alderwood Manor
to Holly Park Housing project in 1958
I thought it was great 'cause there were more kids to play with.
They were almost all black but I didn't know about color yet.
My first best friends, Michelle Price and Floydy Chaffin were both black.
Man we had fun when we were three riding our trikes.
I would sneak mom's transistor radio and listen
to Elvis Pressley. Mom said his music was devil music but I loved it.
Our black babysitters had great music in the 1950s and taught us all to dance.
I still love to dance fifty years later.
So mom had some boyfriends we liked and didn't like.
We ran off the ones we didn't like by being totally horrible.
Strawberry and Pam told me what to do.
When mom met Lyle in 1967 we all liked him.
Strawberry took off in 1969 with a bunch of hippies
to Vancouver Island and never came back.
When mom married Lyle in 1975
they moved to Pocatello Idaho for twenty years.
He was the campus minister at Idaho State University
and had a cute TV show called
News and Views from the Pews.
I didn't move with them because I wanted to start my own life at 18
and stayed with my grandparents until I got hired
at the post office on 4th and Lander in 1977
and could afford my own place.
I'd visit mom and Lyle every summer
and they had the dandiest house at
270 Skyline Drive
and loads of friends.
I think it was the happiest time of their lives.
They always had people over or
visited other people.
That was when I met Chuck and Raylene Naftzger.
Raylene was mom's best friend
from 1975 until she died in 2006.
When ISU couldn't afford dad anymore
he got hired by the United Church of Christ
as an interim minister to help churches
transition between ministers.
I was the only person that was able to visit every single place they lived
because when I was a flight attendant I could fly anywhere free.
They lived in Colville, Washington, Malta, Montana and Orem, Utah
and then Lyle retired in 1993 when I was pregnant with Troy.
Pam and I found them a nice mobile home right down the street
at Lakewood Villa mobile home park.
1993 until mom went to the nursing home in 2004
were some of the happiest years of my life.
I had a mom and dad together
nearby for the first time.
I quit flying when I was pregnant and hung out
with them every day.
Dad and I would do the crossword puzzles and mom
would putter around cooking or making coffee.
It was truly golden times.
I had always wanted a baby since I was a little kid in 1958.
At 37, my wish was granted and I had Troy.
I didn't know that a person could love that much!
So I took him to mom and Lyle's every day.
They had never had local grandkids when they were moving around
so they had a much fun as I did with him.
We'd all go to Mar Vista Resort
on San Juan Island every summer
and when Teddy came
he had our brown eyes.
One time at Denver Stapleton airport a gate agent said I looked just like my dad when
he was getting on a flight I was working. We laughed and laughed.
Mom called Troy her Golden Boy and doted on him like crazy
and Lyle called Teddy his little Teddy Bear and doted on him like crazy.
We had mom and Lyle over for every single holiday dinner
and during the summer they had us down for bar-b-ques all the time.
Those were so great times Mr. Blog.
I felt like a real family for the first time.
I think that is why I love Terry more
every year.
Because not only is he wonderful
but he is the best dad in the world.
He doesn't have that tall man condescending attitude
that most tall white men have.
He is smart, funny, kind, outgoing, helpful, dependable and nice.
Just like Lyle was.
Our kids probably don't even think about what a great dad they have.
I am such a screw-up so much of the time that I am very happy I did one thing right
and picked out a really good dad for my kids.
When Mom and Lyle lived down the street it was the happiest time in my life.
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