Elementary School

He loved to bring home flowers for my mom, just because. Never anything big, but the wraps always included alstromeria. It took me years to be able to remember the flower name let alone pronounce it. Now that I work at Fantasy Floral, I’ve come to learn that alstromeria is not that expensive, but it lasts a really long time. About the time I learned to pronounce it, Dad started bringing home two of these Just Because Bouquets–one for Mom and one for me. What a way to make my day!

High School

My dad cherished my mom, and he showed her how much in a million little ways. Bringing her flowers was one of those million little ways. The first day he brought me home a little bouquet, I felt just as cherished. Being old school chivalrous, Dad opened our car doors, carried our luggage, and helped mom bring the groceries in, no matter what he was doing at the time. A few more of those million little ways.

College

When I went off to college, I lived too far away for my parents to visit often. Dad did have an opportunity to fly in to see me for a winter weekend once. I borrowed a friend’s VW Beetle to pick him up at the airport. The floorboards were rusting out. You had to pop the clutch to start it up. And the heat didn’t work. I was so proud of myself for being self-sufficient enough to be able to pick him up at the airport! Dad’s smile as he walked off the plane and saw me holding a small wrap of alstromeria for him told me I had found a few of my own little ways to show him how cherished he was.

My dad was my first love and my hero. I never doubted he would slay dragons and scale mountains for me. The bond between fathers and daughters probably starts before birth. I know the bond between my father and this daughter continues, even though we can’t see each other anymore. And alstromeria will always remind me of the million ways my dad cherished me.

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