RUN AND LEAP, DAD

MY DAD, IN '82 OR '83, VISITING
 MY HALF-SISTER/HIS DAUGHTER, 
MARTHA,

A WORKER IN HAWAII.

GIVEN THIS PHOTO OF DAD IN HAWAII YEARS AGO. 
IT ALWAYS MAKES ME SMILE. 
 I'M SURE HE WAS THRILLED TO BE THERE.
AND SO APPRECIATE THAT MARTHA INVITED HIM 
AND PAID EVERYTHING FOR HIM.
DAD HAD VERY LITTLE MONEY, EVER.

DAD DIED MAY 22, 1984, 65 YEARS OLD,

FROM LUNG/BRAIN CANCER.

THIS WAS THE VERSE USED AT HIS FUNERAL.

IT TRULY WAS DESCRIPTIVE OF HIM.

 THE LORD HAD ENTERED HIS LIFE A FEW YEARS EARLIER -- DAD CALLED FROM TACOMA WHERE HE LIVED TO MY PLACE IN OMAHA ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE SPRING OF APRIL, '79, TO TELL ME AND THEN SENT ME A WONDERFUL LETTER -- AND I WAS BLESSED TO KNOW HE HAD TRULY TURNED TO THE LORD. 

 [AS MANY OF YOU KNOW FROM MY STORIES, HE WAS VERY TOUGH, VERY ROUGH MOST OF THE TIME. -- AND HE WAS RAISED EXCEEDINGLY ROUGH, TOO.  WELL, NOW I'M EXCITED, BECAUSE I WILL SEE HIM IN HEAVEN, AND WE WILL BE FOREVER-FRIENDS. SOMETIMES I THINK I CAN HARDLY WAIT!]

 [AND, I'M GOING TO SHARE A FEW OTHER PIECES ABOUT DAD VERY SOON.  WORKING ON IT NOW!  SHARING THIS FIRST, THOUGH.]