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Jun 2008 Issue
By Susanna Jones
My favorite childhood memory of my father is both etched in my mind and close to my heart. I remember my father being a handsome man and I looked up to him.
His skin was finely tanned and he had a thick head of jet black hair, always well groomed. He parted his hair on the left side and slicked it all down with hair oil. Dad sometimes wore a hat, and he only had one, so it was old and sagging.
Dad’s round face, square jaw, deep blue eyes and rugged eyebrows added to his masculinity. His breath smelled of cinnamon Dentyne gum. Dad’s barrel chest and wide shoulders made him seem huge to me. My little arms could not stretch all the way around him to give him a hug.
My dad had a heart of gold and always cared for others. He often invited struggling strangers to move into our basement until they were financially stable enough to live back on their own.
I loved being Dad’s little shadow, tagging along to the bank and the hardware store. Every time we went to the gas station he bought me a box of animal crackers. Dad was a trucker, so he was only home on the weekends. All week long I waited for the weekend to come so that I could spend time with him again.
Dad loved to cook big delicious meals for his family. His specialty was spaghetti with homemade secret sauce, which he served with cottage cheese and canned corn.
One of my favorite memories with my father was a time when he stayed home from church with me when I was sick. To keep me entertained Dad decided that we would make cream puffs and surprise the rest of the family when they came home. Dad and I followed the directions and put in all the ingredients, or so we thought. When the cream puffs came out of the oven they looked like little fried eggs, baked hard to the pan. When the rest of the family came home my sisters giggled and teased us, but the cream puffs still got eaten.
For my eighth birthday Dad bought me a pocket knife with my name engraved on the side. It was the most special gift any one had ever given me.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you.
Susanna Jones is a member the Toquerville 1st Ward, Laverkin, Utah Stake.
