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The other day I was looking through some of my Dad’s old things and noticed that a large group of his trophies had been broken at some point. I am not sure how or when it happened, but nonetheless, they are now broken. It didn’t make me cry and I don’t think he would have been too sad either.  It made me think about my Dad’s Greatest Gift. My Dad was a careful person who took care of his things. He was a great lover of sports cars and owned and raced, hence the trophies, a Shelby Mustang, Lotus 7, Lotus Europa, A Sprite, and a Modified Midget that he built from scratch. He took care of all of them.

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My First Christmas with my Dad and brother.

Why would he not mind broken trophies?

So, why would he not mind that his trophies were now broken you ask? Because he left much more behind when he passed away 19 years ago than wood and marble trophies. He left a family, friends, and co-workers who all adored and looked up to him. He left a legacy. Now, you might think I am just talking about a racing legacy, but no, my Dad also recovered a failed Russian Satellite in the Canadian Wilderness, and helped build the first bomb dismantling robotic arm named “The Worm”. So yes, my Dad was a pretty cool guy. But, that is not the legacy that I am talking about either.

Dad overlooking computer

My Dad’s Greatest Gift- A Legacy of Love

My Dad left behind a legacy of love. I knew from a very young age that my Dad loved me. I was a preemie baby, and upon birth needed to be transferred to a children’s hospital for the first few weeks of my life. My Mom had to stay behind, so my Dad followed the Ambulance to the new hospital. The Dr’s were not certain if I would make it. In fact, a church we didn’t even know of, called a midnight mass to pray for me and another baby close to death. God had a plan since both of us babies survived. When my Dad arrived at the new hospital, he could not remember my name. Understandably, he was a little upset, so I was named Baby X. Luckily, my Mom reminded him and I am now Jennifer. However, I always knew that my Dad loved me.

Quote about Mom

Then there was the time when I was around 16 and making my first resume. My Dad was helping me out typing in the information to our first generation Apple Computer. When it came time to fill in my name, my Dad turned to me and asked with a quizzical expression, “How do you spell Jennifer”? I cracked up to no end. He said that he couldn’t remember if it was one N or two.

The Worm

I always knew how much I was loved-

So, you might think I am a bit off if I think my Dad, who could not remember my name or how to spell it, really loved me. He did. I was so fortunate to grow up knowing that my Dad truly loved me. That no matter what, he was in my corner, and he was rooting for me.

I remember the time I made my first Pound Cake. Now that I am older I realize it maybe was a 10 Pound Cake since it was as dense as a brick. And to add to its charm and flavor it was filled with kind of a mix of clumps of flour and scrambled eggs. I was about 9 at the time and presented it to my Dad with glee. He took a piece, dug in, and started to wax eloquent about how wonderful the pound cake was. After I tasted it I knew it was not good, but that my Dad loved me.

Quote about Living Life

Then there was the time he took me to my first party-

Then there was the time when I was a freshman in High School and went to my first party. My Dad dropped me off and let me know that if anything didn’t go the way I thought it should, to call him. He would pick me up at any time, no questions asked. A few hours into the party when the alcohol started flowing, and I noticed that some of the attendees were starting to damage the yard, I called my Dad. He came and picked me up. No questions asked.

My Dad’s Greatest Gift- A legacy of love

When I was 15 and going on my first movie date, my Dad drove me to the Theater. Before I got out of the car my Dad reminded me that I could call him any time, and he would come to pick me up. No questions asked. The Date was okay but was the first and last with that guy. When my Dad picked me up I told him it was not the best date. So, he took me to get an ice cream cone, and then we drove up and down the main drag of town, “cruising”. I knew my Dad loved me.

He was always looking ahead-

When I was 28, I went to my Dad to ask him if he would support me adopting 2 children from foster care. I knew that I would need additional emotional support to successfully support two children. When I asked my Mom she immediately said yes! I asked my Dad and to my surprise,( I don’t know why) he immediately said Yes!

Quote about LIfe

My Dad said that he knew that he was not going to live much longer as he was in the middle of kidney failure and had severe heart problems. He called himself a “Short Timer” and said that it would be a perfect situation. I would be able to adopt, he would get to be a grandpa for a while before he passed away, and my Mom and I could live together, support each other and my Mom, who was going to be a fairly young widow would not be alone. My Dad loved me. He loved my Mom. And he loved the Grandchildren that he had never even met.

My Dad

My Dad was able to be a grandparent for 8 months before he passed away. And he was an amazing grandpa. He said, what he loved most was watching the kids run in the backyard and play, and play, and play. My Dad loved seeing the world anew through their eyes. He loved each of the people in his life with a strong and unwavering love.

Quote about Regret

His legacy was love-

My Dad filled in a legacy book, and I have included quotes throughout this post that he wrote in the book. But, the book, the trophies, and everything else were not my Dad’s legacy. His legacy was and is love. I could go on and on, but I won’t. I hope that you have experienced this wonderful kind of all-encompassing love from a parent. The kind of love that says that, even if the trophies are all broken, the legacy is intact. I loved my Dad so much, and am so grateful that he was mine.

What do you want to be your legacy? I wrote more about this topic in the post you can find here.  I have also written about my mother in a post you can find here. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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