Chad the Thoughtful

I have a hard time catching Chad for a photo. This was Christmas
morning when he was looking down at a gift.

In olden times, people were often identified by something that was striking about their appearance (i.e., Eric the Red), or something notable, good or bad, that they did (i.e., Vlad the Impaler), or perhaps by their occupation or their geographic/ethnic origins (i.e., Attila the Hun).

If we still followed that custom, my son-in-law could be named Chad the Helpful, Chad the Creative, Chad the Hardworking, or Chad the Thoughtful.

Today I am talking about the thoughtfulness aspect.

Yesterday was St. Valentine's Day. This is not a holiday that means much to me since my Valentine now lives with the saints and my children are grown (no Valentines to purchase/help make for school exchanges, no heart-shaped cookies to bake, etc.). So I was surprised on the evening before Valentine's Day when my granddaughter came upstairs to my apartment with a bouquet of flowers. When Chad was buying flowers for Anne Marie, he also bought a bouquet for me. I love flowers, and was touched by and thankful for his thoughtfulness

This is not the first time I've received flowers from Chad. He likes to surprise with a bouquet at random times.

Chad does a lot of things for me, such as minor repairs around my house, keeping my car clean, or picking up something he knows I'll be needing when he's at the store. Before I sold my house he put in many hours doing landscaping for me.

Chad started coming around our home when he was 16 and dating our daughter. Four years later they were married. All these years of his being part of my family makes him just seem like Son, rather than Son-in-Law!

I am very thankful for Chad the Thoughtful-Helpful-Creative-Hardworking-and Kind.

Father's Day

Yesterday was a beautiful Father's Day. The sky was clear, the temperatures were warm, and everything was green and growing. At church it was Darryl Lynde’s last Sunday as the Interim Pastor and, as usual, his sermon was touching, apropos, humorous, and emotional. He expressed some of the "Dad guilt" he felt, wishing he'd been a more perfect father. I think every parent feels that way. Looking back we see the things we could have done better, but, the truth is, most of did the best we could with what we knew and what we were at the time. I know Jerry always thought he should have done better--his kids thought he was a wonderful dad. They adored him, looked up to him, respected him, and had fun teasing him. 

What better gift for Dad than a good hug!

Megan's gift to her Dad. She draws a lot
of dragons, which in her fantasy realm are
companions to humans. This one is shown with
reins for its rider's convenience.

Chad is the dad in our little family circle these days. He and his daughter, Megan, are close and he is teaching her a lot of practical things. He is also very creative. Megan is constantly drawing and thinking up projects to make; there is creativity in both her parents. I wish I had taken a photo of a gift Chad just finished for a friend. He took a collection of tools, war medals, buttons, photos, and other items from a mementos box of her father's, and made a shadow box of these things that illustrated her father's life. It is way cool!

For Chad's Father's Day it didn’t really seem quite fair, but he bought Father’s Day dinner—he was in the mood for Kentucky Fried Chicken and With It. So, nobody had to cook and we had a relaxed meal. 

Later in the afternoon Megan made a red velvet cake topped with slices of strawberries from her own plants, which we enjoyed. (Anne Marie made a gluten-free chocolate cake for herself, so she wasn’t left out.) There were plenty of leftovers, so no one cooked for supper either!