A Note for Papa (My Daddy)

On Friday night, the Memorial Gardens (where my daddy is buried), held a special luminary memorial service.  It was a very beautiful sight to see.  Luminaries were placed on every grave and lit and it was truly a beautiful sight.  Even just driving by from the road you couldn't help but slow down and take that sight in.  

I miss my Daddy so much and holidays seem to hurt a little more.  I am real big on wanting my girls to know my Daddy even if it is only through pictures and videos.  I want them to hear stories about him and know what a great man he was and how he could make everyone smile and laugh.  I want them to know how he would have loved being around them and playing with them.  Cohen really enjoys looking at my picture albums and me telling her who all is in the pictures and how they are related.  She sees all the pictures of my Daddy and she knows that is my Daddy and that he now lives in heaven with Jesus.  She has asked me questions like, "when is he coming back?" and I think she has started to know that living with Jesus in heaven means you won't come back.  She now has started asking the cute questions about heaven which she asked Kelly like, "do they have Starburst in heaven?", "what do they eat in heaven?", and making comments like "I don't want to go to heaven unless they have pink, purple, and yellow starburst".  My child loves candy!   

On Friday I was looking forward to going to see the luminaries and I told Cohen we would be going to light a candle where my Daddy was buried.  When we got there they had a Christmas tree outside the office where you could write notes in memory of your loved one and hang that on the tree.  Cohen decided to draw an angel on hers.  It was all in black Sharpie so you may not be able to tell what it was :) As she was finishing I told her I would write his name on the card and then she could hang it on the tree.  She said here is my note, (and I quoted her on her message)

"Dear Papa,

I drawed you this picture.  I hope you eat lots of food in heaven."

Cohen (she signed her own name backwards)

I had to laugh and cry all at the same time.  She is too funny sometimes.  I know she doesn't really understand and I hate more than anything that she never met him, but I know he would have gotten a big kick out of that little note and he was definitely smiling down on that!

Hanging her picture (and note)