Saturday, June 17, 2006

I Thought I Saw My Dad!

Yesterday, I saw my dad driving the car in front of me, as we were stopped at a traffic light. As soon as I thought it, my heart fluttered, and then I remembered that my dad had passed away--nineteen years ago! Can a heart really hold on to a memory that long? It can, where there is love.

My Daddy had a distinct profile from behind! You see, he was a little on the short side (about 5'9" or 5'10" I'm guessing). He had wavy hair on the top of his head, and the sides were cut close at the temples. But the most distinguishing characteristic was that his ears stuck out just a little bit. Enough to differentiate him from other men, when you saw him from behind.

So, you can see why I thought this man in the car in front of me was my dad, if even for a second. It made me miss Dad so much. I felt cheated to lose my father when I was only 24. Life was just getting going for me, and I really wanted to share it with him.

This Father's Day, as always, my heart will be filled with fond memories of Charles Edward Carlton, also known as Charlie or Carl.

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