All Hail to the King
If you’ve recently followed my blog posts, you know that my Dad now resides in heaven, and last weekend we celebrated his birthday. He was the king of our castle, and the patriarch of our family. Nothing made him happier than being together as a family.
A few days before his birthday, my sister and I decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. As we were deciding the restaurant, it suddenly hit me, and tears flooded my eyes. My sister quickly looked at me and asked why I had tears streaking my cheeks. Trying to explain my emotions, I had picked the perfect place to celebrate. Once I had mentioned the name, it was also special to her. The restaurant was the place my Dad took me as a teenager to celebrate my birthday. It was part of a family tradition that I have always treasured, and I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world. The restaurant was special to my sister since the last time she visited was the night before her wedding, at the rehearsal dinner.
The Hob Knob is an old-timey, supper club, nestled on the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. The views of the lake made the perfect backdrop for a special celebration, as we ordered a cocktail prior to dinner. As we raised our glasses, it wasn’t a sad toast, but one of celebration and love…”Cheers to Daddy.” We enjoyed our cocktail as we made random conversation about the fun memories of our childhood. At one point of the evening, my sister started to get teary-eyed and before a tear dropped…..I said with a bit of sass, “Knock it off, and swig it down!” It startled her, and we began to laugh. I didn’t want any tears that night; it was a night for happiness and joy. We chuckled all night long over that statement.
The next night, we ended up going out with my brother and sister-in-law, after visiting a loved one in the hospital. We raise our glasses in honor of our guy…..”Here’s to Dad.” Again, cheers of happiness and joy, for a life well lived.
On the third day, which was his actual birthday, we had planned to gather early morning, on the lawn of my parent’s home. My other brother had ordered an American flag in honor of his birthday. My Dad had always flown the American flag; making sure it stayed in good condition and replacing when frayed. As my brother’s hoisted it together, albeit only taking a few seconds. We stood proudly as his family, and watched it wave bravely in the wind.
Our “All Hail to the King” remembrance, was with no great fanfare, or big celebrations, it was just our way of honoring him in the best way we knew how, in the moment. How do you honor the king of your castle? I know ours loved how we cherished him….simply, surrounded by family.
xoxox…..Sheryl