Days of PURPOSEFUL Thankfulness – Day #88

Note: Refer to day number 1 (July 25, 2015 post) if you do not know what this is all about.

Daddy's Glass

I am thankful for each day we have capacity to hold memories of our deceased friends and loved ones.  It will soon be 40 years since my dad died (October 28th) but I still hold the memory of him coming home from work each evening. My older sister and I would run down the hall to the front door where he would enter and jump on him. I remember my mom always serving him his dinner plate on a silver tray in our living room. This was no ordinary tray; I recall etchings of a "paisley-like" design that could be seen and felt on the surface and upraised designed edges. I recall the chair he sat in was next to the one big window in our living room right above the radiator (oh the pain if you accidentally let your skin rest on that thing when it was on during the cold months). One very vivid memory that always stuck with me was a signature glass that she always used to serve him his beverage. The glass always mesmerized me because of the iridescent colors. In my mind, it was “daddy’s glass.” It is funny how I never realized until after daddy died that there were two of these mesmerizing glasses. I was 5 years old when he died so I guess I didn’t know because I was never getting anything out of the cabinet to know what was or wasn’t there. Nevertheless, I do know that I never recalled my mom drinking out “daddy’s glass” or a glass that looked like daddy’s glass.

It was just a few years ago that I was over at my younger sister and mom’s house; we were talking about some memories. I brought up my observation about how that iridescent glass was the only glass from which I saw daddy drink. I also mentioned how I liked the colors and never realized until much later that there were two of these glasses. One of them had gotten broken somehow later after his death. I wondered which one was the glass that belonged to him. Thinking back on it now, they both looked alike so he may have used them both. J Nevertheless, it was not until this conversation that my mom knew the impact of me still seeing this one iridescent glass. She let me have it (tears). I try my best to guard that glass with my life, especially when I drink from it. Thank you Charlie Reen Beard (daddy) for my memories and the glass.