Leonard Gokey

Dad

 It seems like just yesterday we celebrated your 80th Birthday , In the past couple of weeks we celebrated Mom's 80th Birthday and even though it was a time to be happy for all the years Mom has made the earth a better place to be , and us so fortunate to be able to call her "Our Mom".  It was difficult not to think about you. I know that Mom was hurting on the inside ,and it was difficult for her to put the smile on her face , that everyone wanted to see her have.  Like all of the other trying and difficult times that she has ever had to make it through , she found her strength in God and made it through. Mom had  told me that she didn't want to celebrate any more milestones in her life without you, but in seeing the support of all of her family she was able to make it a memorable occasion. In the end she knows that you are still right here with her..... and all of us,  as she refers to you as our "Guadian Angel".  She knows that you will be her "Guardian Angel" helping her through all of these trials .........till she is in the arms of her Angel.

4th of  July and watching the fireworks go off tonight  , reminds me of the 4th of July's in the past when I was younger... but old enough to go spend the day with Dad at either the Churabosco Fireman's field Day or the Mt View Fireman's Field Day . He would make it to both of them as long as they were scheduled to do the fireworks on different nights.  Starting the day early to arrive and get the  high-striker set up and having some of the barbeque that lasted all day long with the end of the Day being the firework display. I remember they had steamed clams , and Dad loved clams , he had me run back and fourth getting him some of them while he tended the high-striker. Dad was always so Happy when He was at one of these events , there wasn't anyone that he did not know and they would all come by to visit and tell a story or listen to one from Dad. I always thought I was the luckiest Kid to have such a popular and great Dad. There was  and is no one that can take his place ,he was the best!  I sure will keep those memories with me every 4th of July when I see those fireworks in the sky .

The Memories of Dad are what keeps him close to me still today . It seems that everyday there is something that happens or something that I see that will remind me of him, the unfortunate thing is sometimes I feel as though he is still here and I will want to pick up the phone to ask him a question or get his advice on something... then I catch myself .  Its tough not to have him here with us , but I know that he is probably in heaven right know telling a story or giving advice to someone there who needs it .....and better yet spending Fathers Day with his Dad . I guess its not until after it happens that we realize how much we will miss those people around us in our everyday life ,when they are gone. It certainly opened my eyes to a better apprechiation of all those around me. It has made me  expecially  realize how My son Ted will have to go through the same hurt of not having me around anymore, And because of that I will always apprechiate the time we are together, and when I am gone I hope that he have all the good memories to help him through that I have had and comes to understand that I will be spending Fathers Day with my Dad.

Out of all of the christmas memories that I have, the best memories were the ones that were spent in Malone with all of the family. Spending time with Grandpa and Grandma, the aunts and uncles, and cousins was something that I always looked forward to. The food was always soooooo good. Patty and I would always wear the sweaters that Grandma and Grandpa gave us for Christmas. We loved them. I especially remember the year that we got matching sweaters with kittens on them from Grandma and Grandpa. Believe it or not, we still get matching clothes at Christmas time. This year Mom and Dad gave us matching northface jackets. Thanks for starting the tradition Grandpa and Grandma!

Well Here it is Christmas Time , A time that Dad always enjoyed , Mom would always have worked days creating a beautiful feast for us all ,and we  would get up as early as we could (or at least as early as Dad and Mom would let us come down the stairs) come down the stairs to see the Christmas Tree with a sea of gift wrapped boxes around it.

We would gather there an begin to pass around the gifts to the persons they were intended for and proceed to open the packages to find everything that we all had asked for on our list. Yes , Santa  (Dad with Mom's help) never let us down. he always came through , and sometimes I think that the happiness that was in that livingroom for that period of time that morning seem to make it all worth while for Dad (Santa).  Later we would all go to church , I remember different ones of us serving as alter boys . After Church we would return home for the Turkey and all the trimmings dinner that Mom had worked so hard on.  Looking back its easy to see that it really was all about all of us being together, thats what was important to Dad.

Last Year We had the honor of having both Mom and Dad with us here in Florida for the Holiday , When we woke Christmas Morning it was just as it was when we were kids again,  Dad sat and opened his gifts and looked around the room with that same smile.  I just finished out Christmas Day with Mom.  It was a dificult day for her to get through but she did good considering it all.  She's a strong women and is even stronger in her Faith . I can only hope that I will be as strong as what she is if and when I am put to the same test.  For now I like to think that Dad was with us all Day today and had that same smile on his face he always did.