We went to Charlotte yesterday to attend my aunt's retirement party. My parents and all of my aunts and their husbands were there. It was a big family reunion of sorts. We could only go for the day; it's a 4 hour drive one way. I took a nap this afternoon. Missing a whole day like that takes it out of me. ------------- Happy Father's Day. We took our Daddy out to lunch and then gave him a tea brick from our trip to VA. He likes strong black tea. A tea brick is mashed tea leaves dried together, and they will last about forever. You slice or grate a piece off and make the tea. Hope he likes it. I thought I might put down some memories of my dad and grandfathers to honor them today. My Papaw Sharp always walked slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. I remember him walking down the lane to go and get the mail. He usually had a dog walking with him, and he wore overalls and a straw hat. He didn't hurry anywhere. I can see him tilling the garden, too. He loved his wife with all of his heart. He called her his bride until the day he died, and he gave you the feeling that she still looked like his bride. He took care of her and appreciated her. He liked to read. He read anything he could get his hands on. He gave me a book on canning, The Blue Book by Ball, before I ever thought of canning. I hung onto it for some reason and it has come in handy these last few years. I also remember him spanking me. I was about 6 years old and swinging on the gate. He told me to get down and I told him I didn't have to listen to anyone but my parents. He reassured me that I did. My Papaw Fitzwater was a tall man in my memory, though I have been told that he wasn't overly tall. He had big hands. I remember his clothes as gray janitor's clothes. He worked for the public schools repairing things. I was always proud that he had helped to build a dam in my hometown. I can see him in the garden as well. He liked salad greens. I remember him as being strict sometimes, but mostly I think of him as a happy man. He always seemed to have something to say to people, even strangers. He liked jokes and funny stories. My own father was a good dad. I think of watching western movies together on a Sunday afternoon. I would curl up with him on the couch. I remember trips that we took as a family; family was important to him. We would travel across the country to visit all of his brothers and sisters and their kids. He got me cats and dogs, goats, sheep, and even a horse once. I wanted a kitten from my uncle, and my dad got me 3. "One would be lonely and two might fight. It's best to have three." I think he couldn't say no to his little girl! He brought me my first dog, Lucy, who was my best friend through those Middle School years. My dad is a man of his word. When Hubby asked permission to marry me, he asked my dad to keep it a secret. My dad didn't even tell my mom! When I was 8 he said I could have a "big bed"( double) in a couple of years. When I turned 10 he gave me a queen sized bed. He is a man who wants to help others. He has hired men that other people have totally given up on to help him on the farm. He has taken in struggling kids to give them a second chance. He has strong political views, likes a good joke, and still races my kids down the walk. These three men have changed my life, raising me and raising those who raised me. My Father in Heaven blessed me tremendously when He put me in their paths.