My Dad

Me and My Daddy - March 19, 2011 

This picture of me and my dad is one of VERY few pictures that I have of us together. Why, you ask? I don't have a good answer for that but know one thing for sure is I am going to take advantage of every opportunity moving forward to be sure I have more of us together. 

Let me tell you a little about my dad. His name is Sidi Calvin Grooms. He will be 69 years old this October and other than a few minor things is in pretty good health. He is a retired farmer that now owns and operates a venison processing business.  During the off season, he is a butcher at a local grocery store. He and my mom still live on the same farm that Dad grew up on as a child. He has an identical twin brother, named Alvin. Yes that is right, Calvin and Alvin. Still makes me laugh after all of these years. Now don't get me wrong, I like the names Calvin and Alvin but naming your twins that is just funny to me.

My dad is an extremely hard worker. He works harder than anyone that I know. We have asked him to slow down a bit since he is getting older but he doesn't know the meaning of slow. While there are many traits that my dad passed on to me and my siblings, this is the one thing that is probably the most evident. He taught us that in order to be anything and get anything, you have to work hard for it. Nothing in life has come easy for him and while he made life as easy for us as he could, this is something that each of us continues to live by. We all work hard and that is due largely to the fact that we grew up watching both my mom and my dad work very hard day in and day out.

Dad is a pretty laid back man. He isn't a man of many words at all but when he did speak, I listened.  He taught me the importance of having manners and being respectful to everyone. He instilled values in me that have helped me become the woman I am today. He helped to create a family that was solid and loved each other very much.  Even though he worked many long hours each and every day, 7 days a week, he made sure that we knew he loved us.  I don't feel like I got to spend enough time with him growing up but understood why he did what he did for us.  Now that I am grown and live about 5 hours from him, I still don't get to spend much time with him as I'd like but make the most of the time when we are together.

Several months ago, one of my uncles passed away and while sitting in his funeral I was overcome with sadness thinking about the reality that my dad was getting older and that one day I would be sitting on the front pew doing what my aunt and cousins were doing that day. It made me really think about the times I have had with my dad and the times that I have missed. I thought a lot about Mason and how much I want to be sure that he gets to spend as much time getting to know his Poppa as possible. Since we are a good distance apart, we don't get to see him as often as I would like but I make it a point to show Mason pictures of my dad, mom and all his cousins each and every day.  I hope and pray that there are many, many years to come and they get to know each other.

Dad loves his children and grandchildren very much. My sister and her family live next door to my parents so he gets to see them every day. I am very envious of this but know that while they do see each other more often than we get to see them, they love each of us just the same.

I could go on and on about my day, but this post is getting long so I'll save the rest for a later post. If you made it this far, thank you. Now, go hug your dad if you have the great fortune to be close to him and if not spend a few minutes reflecting about him if he is no longer with you.  I love you dad.

Until next time......