Dear Pop,

Happy Birthday! It would have been your 95th Birthday today, and so much has changed in the seven years since you passed. What has not changed is how very much we all miss you. It is hard to pick one thing that I miss the most. There are so many, but here are a few.

I miss your laugh, one of my favorite memories of you laughing was when we were watching Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show when he had Buddy Hackett on as a guest. Buddy was artful at telling a story without using words that would have gotten him bleeped. As he is telling this joke, Dad, you started laughing. You went from the loud full belly laugh, to the silent shaking laugh, and finally the bent over high pitched laugh with tears. It was truly one of my favorite memories of you Pop.

I miss your gurgling belly. When I was a kid and I would sit next to you at home, or in church, and as a little girl you would put your arm around me.  I would lay my head against you and listen to your gurgling stomach. It was always, in a strange way, a comforting sound to me.

I miss you singing in church. When I was little you would sit in the pew with us, and with your tenor voice you would harmonize singing all the hymns. You had such a beautiful singing voice. As I got older you sang in the choir, and played guitar in the church music group. I still enjoyed listening to you sing in the choir and play your guitar, but the sound was never as sweet as when your were right next to me in the pew. That is a sound I will never forget.

I miss your warm chubby hands. As you got older and your hands got bigger your wedding band was embedded in your finger and your hands were as warm as your heart. When I was young and I would sit next to you with your arm around me, you would lay your hand on my arm, or hand, and they were always so warm and comforting. As I grew older and moved away, when I came home to visit you would sit next to me and take my hands in yours and always say, "How's Gigi?" Your hands covering mine in warmth. I always called them your heater hands. Oh, how I miss them.

I miss feeling the safety that a daughter can only feel with her Dad. The bear hug that enveloped me, the kiss on my head, and your voice saying "I love you". That is by far what I miss the most.

There are so many things that I miss now that you are gone, but I am bless that I still have such wonderful memories of you and Mom, and such wonderful siblings to share them with.

Happy Birthday Pop, and on this day my memory will be of you opening your presents with one of the bows on your head, and all of us laughing.

All my Love,
Gigi