Celebrating My Dad For Father’s Day

Father’s Day is THIS weekend. Where has the time gone? It’s so crazy how fast these past few months have flown by for me. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess! Since we’re going into Father’s Day weekend, I figured I would share a little bit about my dad today.

At my 5th grade graduation. He wasn’t one for pictures, lol.

Let’s start off with stating the obvious, I was definitely a Daddy’s Girl. Every weekend when we would go to the flea market, I was latched to him. Ever since I could remember, I would always hold his hand! I remember feeling like he was this giant and he would always protect me.

My mom and dad were Residents in the US and worked very hard to earn a living. Back when they came to the US, there wasn’t much in Spanish to really help them navigate. My dad learned broken English as best he could and a trade in construction so he could make a living. Y’all, the stores I’ve heard from both of them and how they made it when they first came to the US brings me to tears.

Me as a little! I absolutely love this picture of us!

My dad worked all day in the Texas sun and soon began getting promoted because he learned quickly and did whatever was asked of him. When I was younger, I would always wonder why his hands were rough and calloused. He would tell me that he worked outside so that I would never have to struggle like they did. My parents wanted me to be the first to graduate highschool and go on to college.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away right before I graduated high school. I was absolutely devastated. However, I feel like that gave me the drive to finish up and go onto college. I pursed a degree in Construction Science because I wanted to make my dad proud. When I was younger, he would always bring home drawings that the engineers gave him so I would learn and become an engineer one day too.

One of my scrapbook pages shortly after his passing.

My mom remembers my dad fondly and how we would spend our weekends in the backyard. My mom would plant flowers, my dad would mow, and I would water since I couldn’t really mess that up! My mom also shared how one year he worked overtime just so I could have one doll for Christmas along with a new pair of shoes. I still remember him walking through the door with a huge smile on his face and he was carrying that doll.

My husband and my dad never got to meet but I truly believe that they would be best friends. It’s amazing how they are so much alike sometimes that I feel God brought my husband into my life at the right moment.

Every year on his birthday and on Father’s Day, I have a little moment to remember him. How his voice sounded. How his laugh would fill the room. How he used to sing and dance in the car and would get other cars stopped at traffic lights to do the same.  I drink a Coke (his favorite drink) and thank him for all his sacrifices because I became a better person because of him.

How are you celebrating the fathers in your life this year?