My Dad

Father's Day, time to honor dad and make him special. My dad died a little over three years ago, on Valentine's Day of a broken heart. My mom had passed away a few months prior and I don't think he wanted to live without her. And since today is also my birthday, I wanted to share some pictures of me and my dad! Ernest Everett Moore, but was always known as "Pat", as in Pat the Irishman is what everyone called him. Born in the early 20's, he was like most as he grew up in Joplin, Missouri during those times. He served his time in WWII and always loved telling the story about coming home from Germany on the Queen Mary. He and my mom had something special. I don't know how to describe it, but I never even came close to having it during the 22 years I was married to Mr. Wonderful. He was a family man. Him and my mom bought their first and only home in Long Beach, where I was born and raised. Katie and her family bought the house after my mom and dad had passed away and now are raising their family in the house I grew up in, just a remodeled version of it!It's funny, this picture was taken at my mom's Aunt and Uncle's house also in Long Beach, and very close to where I live now. I've never strayed to far from the "LBC", my hometown. Of course I don't remember hanging out with my dad on our back porch, but I like to think I do. He was the one that kept the "memories" alive in my family. He took most of the pictures, wrote on the backs of them with stories and dates. He was that kind of guy back then. Just a family man that worked for SoCal Edison as a lineman. He got paid every two weeks and on those Fridays my sister and I would go out to dinner with my folks at Heartwell Golf Course coffee shop. And YES, that is still here, close by.When my folks bought their house, it was brand new. Douglas Aircraft had just opened and there were new jobs to be found. My dad planted this magnolia tree in the front yard. The magnolia tree that my sister and I grew up under, the magnolia tree that my three kids played under, and now the tree that Riley plays under and soon her baby brother will join her.
This is one of my very favorite pictures of my dad and me, again taken in our backyard. He really did his part in raising us. He could fix anything and I do mean anything. I remember when I was going to school over at Cal State University Fullerton, I was driving an old VW bug at the time. As I was getting ready to drive home after class, my clutch went out. Not a probem for my dad. He met me at school with a rope in hand. Tied it to some part in the engine and ran it through the driver window. I drove his car home, and he drove mine by using the rope to "shift" since the clutch had gone out. My dad, Mr. Fix It! I have this picture framed in my home, I love it! My sister, Teri and I, were at Pier Point Landing down at the beach in Long Beach with my folks. It's no longer there but was such a cool little place. They had seals, little rides, nothing like the scary Pike that use to be down there! Sadly Pier Point Landing is no longer there. I would have loved to take my grandbabies there! This is a picture of my dad holding Riley for the first time. He was so excited and just kept saying, "your mom would have loved this baby". I've told this story many times before about my mom passing away a few days after Riley being born. My folks had been living in assistant living at the time. My dad saw Riley at her funeral, but none of it registered with him. He had Alzheimer's and was grieving over my mom. He was such a "challenge" to me at the end. The things he did were comical but the messages he use to leave on my answering machine at home were so draining. I would work all week-end, come home from a BSC Sunday and play my messages and hear, "Susan, this is your dad, we have NO cat food, what are we supposed to do, our cats are going to starve to death"! After my dad passed away and my sister and I were cleaning out his room, we discovered cases of cat food everywhere. That was my dad, torturing me to the very end! My dad, Pat the Irishman!It's funny when you've lost your parents and your own kids are grown. I see so much of my dad in Bryce. His appearance, his efforts to fix everything, and the way he loves his little Morgan, just like my dad did with his girls. I know my dad would be SO excited to know Katie is going to have a little boy pretty soon. Our family needs more boys. So, tonight as I go out to dinner with my family for my birthday and Father's Day, I will remember all the good things in my life. What our past has taught us and what our future holds for us. When I got up this morning, I had an email from my sweet "RuFie"! Here's what she sent me: "Life is too short to wake up with regrets~so love the people who treat you right~forget about the ones who don't~and believe that everything happens for a reason and if you get a chance, take it~if it changes your life, let it." Thinking of you today Dad!!