Common Threads

I remember my dad this way.


I'm not sure how many nearly identical pictures there are of him like this, but I know there are a lot.


I sit wiping away my tears as I look at this. It is one of those cruel moments where his absence weighs so heavily on me that it becomes hard to breath, where his death seems so unnecessary, so cruel, and as if my tiny family is cheated out of the happiness and experiences that my dad's presence would have brought to our Little One.

My dad loved babies. Babies loved him. I always thought that this spoke volumes about the true character and spirit of my dad, and I believe this to be true of all men. It was, in fact, this very quality that took me from in-like to completely smitten with Brandon. I cherish this for so many reasons. Its like my dad and Brandon are kindred in this way. It makes me think, more than ever, that my dad had a little something to do with B and I finding each other. It was like he knew that since he wouldn't be here to love his grand babies with a tenderness I can never achieve so he found for me a man who possessed the same qualities he had to love our babies the way they would need it.

I will always remember my dad this way....I eagerly wait to see my husband this way.

So, today my love for my dad and Brandon have a common thread. Their fatherly qualities are so similar in such beautiful ways, it is beyond touching. Their abilities to love are limitless.

I am so very blessed.