Connect with the ones you love, every chance you can.
Matthew Peregoy’s “The Real Matt Daddy” blog has been running a series on #RealFatherhoodStories. This is from Shannon, of Lady’s Makes and Bakes, and is reprinted from The Real Matt Daddy with permission.
Connect Four was our game. The game that my daddy and I played in the living room on the brown, shaggy carpet in the evenings before bed. I remember being “red” and he “black” because he always let me choose my color, and I wanted red. He was smoke and I was fire. This was our time together. Instead of watching a TV program before bed, we played Connect Four.
My hair was always freshly washed, damp and braided, leaving a trail of water dripping down the middle of my back. My jammies consisted of my daddy’s old mustard- yellow basketball jersey, number twenty-five. It was his, so I loved it.
When it was my turn he would let me take as long as I needed, sometimes staring at the board for several minutes at a time, carefully planning my next move. And the move after that, and the move after that, all the while anticipating his next series of moves. I was a seven-year-old little girl savoring every precious moment.
He didn’t let me win. And this fierce competition made me learn strategy, patience, and how to win (and lose) gracefully. At least I think he didn’t let me win.
I remember the overwhelming excitement when I realized I had him “trapped.” That no matter where he went, on my next move I would win. I remember the anxiety I felt when I had three red game pieces in a row, praying he didn’t see it, and trying my very best not to look in that direction. I remember the disappointment I felt when I saw his black game piece land, the fourth in a row, therefore losing.
I remember begging for “just one more game!” trying to stay up later than I was supposed to. Sometimes he’d let me, and I felt like I was getting away with murder. Sometimes it was bed time.
I was never overly disappointed upon losing, for I knew I would have another chance at redemption the next night. I also tried not to gloat upon winning, for I knew he would probably win the next game.
I was a seven-year-old little girl who had just gone to bed after playing Connect Four with my daddy. A little girl who didn’t know that it was the last time I would play this game with my daddy. The last time that I would spend quality time with my daddy. The last time that I would get to see my daddy.
Because the very next day, my daddy passed away.
Now, as a parent, I try to cherish every moment I have with my children. That’s not always easy to do, especially on the days when I feel like we are in survival mode and are just trying to get through the day, but it is always in the back of my mind. And when I see my husband playing games with our daughter, just as I had once done with my daddy, I overflow with love. And I want to savor those moments forever.
Because they could be gone the very next day.
If you would like to submit your Real Fatherhood Story to TheRealMattDaddy.com, please read the requirements, and email your submission to The Real Matt Daddy.
Read more in the Real Fatherhood series.
Photo credit: DQmountaingirl/Flickr
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this
site. I am hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own site now ;
)
Damaris