Remembering Lee Goble, my dad

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! Yes, I am WWAAAYYYY past puberty and I still call my dad the endearing name, “Daddy.” Speaking it makes me smile.

As I remember my dad on this Sunday morning I give him a dad rating of “four or five” on a scale of one to ten (one awful and ten fabulous). That is because I barely knew him until I was an adult with my own kids grown and away from home. He was always working and didn’t much want me around because I talked too much.

As with many rural fathers, he was a good provider and taught me many things, including to put his tools back where I found them, to never be so rude as to eat the center of the watermelon, to take pristine care of possessions, and painting a house with a brush is much better than using a spray gun.

He also taught me “the look.” He could relay his disapproval or acceptance with his eyes – he was a man of few words.

I have many treasured heart stories of my dad…he was a classic.

As a man I rate him a ten – as a friend to other men, a ten – as an honest man, a ten – as an employee, a ten – as a son, an eight – as a veteran, a ten – as a husband, a six – as a brother, an eight. So, you can see he was a good, contributing, valuable person. One cannot be great at everything, and even though he might have come up short in my evaluation as a father, he was all I grew to need. He loved me as good as a four or five dad could, and I loved him as well as a four or five daughter could; we had it figured out.

As we aged, we both became an eight or nine as a dad and daughter…often a ten. Isn’t that great? I so appreciate the time we had to make that connection happen.

We lost him eight years ago and I miss his hugs, his undisputable patriotism, and his concrete take on politics, kids, and elitism. I still hear his life lessons, and that is good – he helped to grow me. THANK YOU!

Happy Father’s Day Lee Goble, until we will meet again.

Until the next time: Live while you live!