Sweet memories

My dad was a captain of a private fishing boat from the time I was 9 until he retired. This meant that for about 6 months of each year he was traveling on the boat. He would spend his summers in New Jersey, some spring months in the Bahamas and some winter months in central Florida. Needless to say that time with my dad was at a premium and treasured. Because my dad was a good "Renaissance Man" he knew how to cook, so on some mornings when mom and grandma were sleeping in or busy doing something else, my dad would cook me breakfast. When he made scrambled eggs and cheese his idea of "good" eggs was to add tons of cheese to the mix. Oh boy were those eggs good!
Today in the rush of the morning routine....finish frosting the last cookies, put away a load of clean dishes, feed the dogs, pay some bills before I forget, pull some breakfast together....I decided that scrambled eggs sounded good, so I quickly scrambled some while doing ten other things at the same time. I accidental dumped in way too much cheese and thought, "oh well". Once I was all done with kitchen chores I grabbed my eggs, toast and coffee and settled at the dining room table to enjoy my own "nature channel" out the bay window. I took one bite of those eggs and was instantly transported back in time to our old dining room table in Wilton Manors. Sitting there with dad enjoying his super cheesy eggs. Breakfast that he had made with his big, brown, leathery, hard working hands. Sitting there chatting about what was happening in our lives, nothing important. Enjoying time with my daddy but not ever fully understanding just how much these moments meant.
This morning I sat there and ate my breakfast with a lump in my throat and a hole in my heart missing those moments. And wishing that dad was still here to enjoy time with and to make more memories with.
Anyone who has lost a mom or dad understands the feeling and that it is especially hard over the holidays. So to those of you who understand, and as sad as it is, I hope that you get your own "cheesy egg" memory this season. Hold it close and let the memory fill your heart.