Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Special Gifts

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        While driving back from my nephew’s basketball game, I mentioned that I needed to shell the pecans from our yard and from my father’s pecan grove for our Thanksgiving pecan pies.

My Father: “Really, how many do you need?”

Me:  “Oh, about two cups.”

        Exactly two cups of shelled pecans appeared at my house yesterday.

        Since my mother always took care of the gift giving for them, after she died, I learned about his special gift giving.

To name a few:

* I came home from a trip to find a raised bed (with tomatoes planted in it) in my backyard.

*He replaced the roof on our little house with red tin.

*He dropped off an avocado tree and two fig trees.

*He built a fence across our backyard.

*He stops by occasionally to say, “You want to go to Luby’s?”

*He never interferes, except to say “You don’t have any business…( fill in the blank)”. And he is always right.

        Tomorrow on Thanksgiving, he will come early, but he never stays late.  In fact, shortly after lunch, he will probably say,

“Sure was good” and “I better go get my shot” (he is diabetic), and then he will leave (he lives down the street).

        I am so thankful for my father. I am proud to be his daughter, and I am happy to prepare:

Turkey

Cornbread Dressing (my mother’s recipe)

Giblet Gravy

Fruit Salad

Sparkle Salad

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Bundles

Acorn Squash

Sister Schubert Rolls

Pecan Pie

Flat Apple Pie

Coconut Cream Pie (for my husband)

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25 comments:

Unknown said...

You father sounds so kind and loving. What a gift to have him.

Enjoy your yummy Thanksgiving.

Kim said...

This post really touched my heart Laura. Of all of my siblings, I have always been the one closest to my father. I cherish him so much. Happy Thanksgiving Laura!
Kim

Debra@CommonGround said...

Laura, how wonderful you still have your daddy, and that he is so close by. How precious he is. Everything sounds so delicious, and oh, that coconut cream pie is my favorite!
Have a wonderful day!
Debra

Loui♥ said...

Laura..
enjoy your father..especially his thoughtful and touching gifts! cherish those moment, minutes and hours with him and PLEASE photograph him!.. time passes ever too quickly..and one day, your father will no longer be down the street..
My dad passed away on father's day 15 years ago.. seems like just yesterday....and being a daddy's girl..I miss him so much!
have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday!
Loui♥

Lisa said...

Your father is a blessing indeed. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tricia said...

What a sweet post Laura! Happy turkey day to you and your family. :-)

Blondie's Journal said...

Laura~~

First off, I never knew where pecans were grown. Blogging can be a wonderful historical/geographical/horticultural adventure. Now send some over!!

I nearly cried reading your LONG list of wonderful things your father does for & with you. After my mother died I was amazed at the things I found out about my father (she was the matriarch and dominating figure in our lives and I miss her incredibly). Left to his own devices, He seemed to take on a whole different personality, or I just never looked close enough.

My mom was in charge of the gift giving as well. Despite his grief, when Christmas arrived 2 months after my mom passed, he had 21 vintage Christmas cards made out for each of his grandchildren with a monetary gift enclosed. That was one of the first new and marvelous traits I learned about this quiet, gentle man. Now I am really crying! We are SO on the same page sometimes, Laura.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving and give your Dad a hug from me.

xoxo
Jane
P.S. Your menu sounds so delicious...

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful guy your dad is,you are a lucky girl! I have a great dad too, so I guess we are both lucky! Happy Thanksgiving, the menu looks yummy! sue

Becca's Dirt said...

You have a precious father. You are a lucky daughter to have such a loving family. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Simple Home said...

Your dad sounds like a true gift. My dad has always been this way too. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Blessings,
Marcia

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What a nice post about your Father! Menu sounds good. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Bless his heart! What a dear guy. Happy Thanksgiving wishes to you and your family!

Nishant said...

njoy your father..especially his thoughtful and touching gifts!


Work from home India

Renee said...

You are truly blessed to have your dad. By the way, what is Sparkle salad? Everything else I recognized.

Mid-Atlantic Martha said...

Wow! What a wonderful man your Dad is -- he sounds very special indeed -- you'll have to give him an extra hug from all the blogging friends you have -- because we think he's special too! We might need to know about that Sparkle salad... at our house, we're fixing -- two turkey breasts, dressing, gravy, country ham and city (sweet) ham, rolls, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, marinated tomatos, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, relish tray, sweet potato pie, rum cake, spiced pumpkin pudding, iced tea, coffee and water.

Marigene said...

What a nice tribute to your father; he sounds like a wonderful man. Enjoy every day you can with him.
A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Lee said...

Wishing you the best Thanksgiving ever!
Sweet post.
Lee

Maree said...

Precious! Sparkle salad sounds interesting...??

Have a fun turkey day!

Kelly said...

What a sweet daddy you have. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Laura, I just popped by and am so glad I did. Reading this really brought a tear to my eye. Your father sounds like such a wonderful man. I can remember my grandfather sitting at the kitchen table hand grating coconut for my grandmother to make homemade ambrosia. That was always part of Christmas and Thanksgiving at my parents' home.

What a sweet, sweet man your daddy is, and he obviously has a sweet, sweet daughter who appreciates him.

This is what thanksgiving is all about, and you said it in a nutshell (no pun intended).

Love to you and a wish for an exceptionally Happy Thanksgiving...

XO,

Sheila :-)

Rebecca Nelson said...

Beautifully written...

Happy Thanksgiving, Laura! May your family gather together with love.

Blessings to you~

Rebecca

Theresa said...

How sweet! I could just give him a hug for being such a sweetie:) Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your day!

trash talk said...

Two cups of love from two hands that still hold your heart. Beautiful post Laura, truly beautiful!
Debbie

Patina Soul said...

How sweet! Your dad sounds so much like mine. I used to resent my dad for never being able to "say" I love you to me, but over the last 10 years, he has shown me in more ways than I can count that he loves me more than words can say! His love language is "works"...doing things for others to show he cares...After all I think if someone says they love you but doesn't show it, it would be very difficult to believe. You are blessed to have such a great daddy! :) Enjoy him! Thank you for sharing your story with us!
Btw, just found your blog today and I love it!!

Pura Vida said...

I'm so glad I read this while browsing your older posts. The kind of mother I want to be too!

 

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