Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
Thanksgiving time holds alot of precious memories for me and I have so very much to be thankful for this year.
Alot of you know that I lost my dad on Thanksgiving Day a few years back. The entire family had gathered at my sisters, kids were running around like crazy,laughter echoed off the walls ,my sisters and I had made twenty pies and were dang proud of ourselves. My dad was waltzing in the kitchen holding my Mariah in his arms and singing to her,the fireplace was blazing,turkey was just finishing roasting....There was nothing dad loved more than to have his family all together.A more perfect day had not been made. Then one of the guys got an idea that the old cottonwood tree in the front yard had to come down. All the menfolk got ready and alot of kidding was going on as the older guys were going to show the younger ones "how to cut a tree". My dad kissed Mariahs head as he handed her back to me and laughed about how very sorry he felt for her as she was the only grandbaby that looked just like Him! That is a memory I always will cherish.
I remember gathering 20 some children to the windows to watch Papa cut the tree.Dad was always in his element when he had an adoring audience and he gave them all a funny little jig. They all pressed their noses to the window in anticipation.
My dad had been a logger all his life. He was with other woodsmen and his brother who also cut trees.
In a flash, something went terribly wrong and a huge 12 inch limb came hurtling from the sky. It hit my dad in the back of the head,knocking his cowboy hat off and flipping him into the air. You cannot imagine the screams that echoed through that house.
My sister and I were of the first to reach him,he gave a small moan and squeezed our hands as his breath slipped away . We started CPR immediately and continued till the ambulance came and then they airlifted him to Milwaukee. By the time we all got to the hospital as well as family from Michigan;the team of doctors had a hallway of over 50 people . They told us dad would not survive.He had massive fractures to the back of his head and basically only the machine was keeping him alive. The hospital gave us all rooms to wait out the night,but no one could sleep. By morning more relatives and friends had arrived,as they called us in to unplug the life support. Each person told my dad goodbye and what he meant to them. I hope he could hear the love that was in the room for him.
When they unplugged the machine,my sister and I knelt on each side of the bed and held each others hand across my dads heart. Everyone had left except for us two. We said that our dad had held us in his arms the first moment of our lives and we would hold him in his last moments.
As that strong loving heart came to its final rest, I knew that I was extremely lucky to have had such a kind and loving Father. Everyone knew without a doubt that my dad loved them, because he told them. He was the strongest, funniest, toughest old cowboy you ever met, but he didnt hesitate ever to say ''I love You".
The reason for this story is not to make you feel sad, but rather to make you Thankful. You should count your Blessings everyday, no matter how very small they might seem.
Tell the people you love that you do care and that you do love them. Hold the ones you love very close and dont let a moment go by that you dont let them know how special they are. We never know the moment when a loved one or friend can be taken from us.It can happen in a blink of an eye. My dad taught us how to live and to love...each moment ...each breath is not to be wasted.
So this Thanksgiving Day as well as everyday ....I am thankful for all the wonderful people I have met here at Treasurenet. You have made me cry,roll in hysterics,think,explore ,dream,research ,hunt better,deeper and wiser,and most of all...to feel blessed for being such a part of a great forum family.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and know you are all Blessed! Please share with us what you are thankful for this year.
Alot of you know that I lost my dad on Thanksgiving Day a few years back. The entire family had gathered at my sisters, kids were running around like crazy,laughter echoed off the walls ,my sisters and I had made twenty pies and were dang proud of ourselves. My dad was waltzing in the kitchen holding my Mariah in his arms and singing to her,the fireplace was blazing,turkey was just finishing roasting....There was nothing dad loved more than to have his family all together.A more perfect day had not been made. Then one of the guys got an idea that the old cottonwood tree in the front yard had to come down. All the menfolk got ready and alot of kidding was going on as the older guys were going to show the younger ones "how to cut a tree". My dad kissed Mariahs head as he handed her back to me and laughed about how very sorry he felt for her as she was the only grandbaby that looked just like Him! That is a memory I always will cherish.
I remember gathering 20 some children to the windows to watch Papa cut the tree.Dad was always in his element when he had an adoring audience and he gave them all a funny little jig. They all pressed their noses to the window in anticipation.
My dad had been a logger all his life. He was with other woodsmen and his brother who also cut trees.
In a flash, something went terribly wrong and a huge 12 inch limb came hurtling from the sky. It hit my dad in the back of the head,knocking his cowboy hat off and flipping him into the air. You cannot imagine the screams that echoed through that house.
My sister and I were of the first to reach him,he gave a small moan and squeezed our hands as his breath slipped away . We started CPR immediately and continued till the ambulance came and then they airlifted him to Milwaukee. By the time we all got to the hospital as well as family from Michigan;the team of doctors had a hallway of over 50 people . They told us dad would not survive.He had massive fractures to the back of his head and basically only the machine was keeping him alive. The hospital gave us all rooms to wait out the night,but no one could sleep. By morning more relatives and friends had arrived,as they called us in to unplug the life support. Each person told my dad goodbye and what he meant to them. I hope he could hear the love that was in the room for him.
When they unplugged the machine,my sister and I knelt on each side of the bed and held each others hand across my dads heart. Everyone had left except for us two. We said that our dad had held us in his arms the first moment of our lives and we would hold him in his last moments.
As that strong loving heart came to its final rest, I knew that I was extremely lucky to have had such a kind and loving Father. Everyone knew without a doubt that my dad loved them, because he told them. He was the strongest, funniest, toughest old cowboy you ever met, but he didnt hesitate ever to say ''I love You".
The reason for this story is not to make you feel sad, but rather to make you Thankful. You should count your Blessings everyday, no matter how very small they might seem.
Tell the people you love that you do care and that you do love them. Hold the ones you love very close and dont let a moment go by that you dont let them know how special they are. We never know the moment when a loved one or friend can be taken from us.It can happen in a blink of an eye. My dad taught us how to live and to love...each moment ...each breath is not to be wasted.
So this Thanksgiving Day as well as everyday ....I am thankful for all the wonderful people I have met here at Treasurenet. You have made me cry,roll in hysterics,think,explore ,dream,research ,hunt better,deeper and wiser,and most of all...to feel blessed for being such a part of a great forum family.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and know you are all Blessed! Please share with us what you are thankful for this year.
I lost my Dad when I was 10. But, I am thankful for the 10 years I did have with him 
I hope every body who reads this gets to spend the holidays with someone they love...........with someone who loves them! 
