The Apple and The Tree - First Time For Daddy's Birthday Without Him

I am so thankful that I was attending a conference today and meeting up with other folks who share the same interests and learning and connecting.  It was the perfect way to spend the day.  

You see, today was my Daddy's birthday.  It was the first time for us to survive his birthday without him.  

I woke up this morning thinking about what day it was and had a little cry.  Then, I got on with my day.  Off and on throughout the day I would think of Daddy and smile a little knowing that he would have loved the opportunity I was enjoying.  I wandered through the trade show chatting with people I've never seen before and probably won't see again after the conference.  I bumped into educators I've seen at other events and chatted with them like they were old friends.  Daddy would have been proud that his legacy continues on through me - meeting up and carrying on conversations before moving on to a new audience or partner for interacting.

The irony of the day was really poignant because when I walked into the conference center, I saw all these men walking round with a Co-op insignia on their vest, jacket, or cap.  You see, today was the last day of a Co-op conference at the very same conference center.  I bumped into a couple of fellows who recognized me and we chatted about the weather and the coincidental crossing of our paths.  Daddy's Co-op connections became connections for me as we stood and shot the breeze.

This afternoon I caught myself sending messages to my daughters to ask if they know educators whose listing as attendees shared that they were from the counties where my grandchildren live and go to school.  Yep, they recognized the names and gave me a little information about those educators.  My first thought is, I need to stay on the lookout for those folks and introduce myself.  Yep.  That is something my Daddy would have done - and would have encouraged me to do.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Tonight the keynote speaker was Leslie Fisher who shared her journey through technology integration.  Her message was entertaining, inspirational, and encouraging and that was before she shared that her father had been placed in hospice care yesterday.  You guessed it, I began crying again - one of those ugly kind of cries.

Keynote Speaker, Leslie Fisher, had this slide in her presentation tonight - a strong message.

These ironic events truly helped me to make it through the day without being a weepy, puddle-in-the-floor mess.  They reminded me that life goes on and, indeed, we are not alone.  We carry those we love and lost with us and share their story and legacy with the world as we do.