A special dad is hard to find but my father was a wonderfully eccentric man. He was a gentle, hardworking, generous, avoided conflict and always tried to make people laugh. He didn't tell others what they should believe or how to live their lives. Even as a parent, he was often reluctant to give his children advice. It was important to him for us to make our own choices and be happy with our decisions. As long as we weren't hurting anyone else, it was okay with him.
             I remember when I was five or six years old when my dad taught me how to mow the grass. He taught me how to check the gas and oil, how to start the mower, how to mow around the edges of the yard, house and garden and how to mow straight lines.
             He would take my brother and I to Mackinaw every weekend to go swimming at a hotel and we would all sing in the pool at the hotel. I remember dinner times when my dad would pile my plate with vegetables, even though he knew I wouldn't eat them. I would cry until I could leave the table because I never finished my plate and he would sing me songs about vegetables. Every single weekend we would pick the vegetables out of the garden with dad and while doing that he would sing. My dad, brother, and I would go on hikes and have our own church services up on the hill every Sunday and my brother and I would always pick hymns to sing at our personal services up on the hill. My dad bought my brother and I horses and that soon became a big part of our lives as little children. Some of my best childhood memories were with my dad. Especially all the times we took in the truck to get to Mackinaw and the time it took to get his surveying jobs and all the hikes we ever went on; there was always singing!
             I remember how much I looked up to my dad and how I wanted to know all the words to all of the country songs just like he did. Though I hold many cherished memories of him, the most vivid was his excitement over singing certain s...