Happy 73rd Birthday Papa!

I wish Heaven had an address so we could send our loved ones cards. I wouldn't say that Papa was a huge fan of getting cards, but I think he would have enjoyed opening some up today so he knew that we were thinking about him. The picture below is Papa after his surprise party we threw for him for his 70th birthday!

He was in one of my dreams last night, so I was a little shocked when I woke up this morning and realized it was January 29th, his birthday.
I called Ma this afternoon and talked to her for an hour. She read me what she wrote in her journal for today... "We got snow! Wow! Today is my husbands 73rd birthday. What a wonderful birthday present for him. He was such a hard working, talented and artistic man. Thank you for blessing our family with such a wonderful man in our lives" 
These weren't her exact words, but it's what I got out of her reading it to me since my eyes had filled with tears and I was trying to hold back my sniffles.

I sit here right now with tears running down my cheeks as I type this up. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him somewhere or some how. Papa appears in my dreams often, and I always wonder if it's just my mind or if it is really him. There are so many times that I catch myself thinking that Papa can change my oil when I get home this weekend or fix a necklace that I broke, and then reality sinks in.
I am so thankful to have had 23 years to spend with him and so many pictures that I can look back to remember him by!

Papa, if you're reading this, I hope you had a wonderful day! Please continue to remind Ma that you are still taking care of her and looking out for her. Thank you for giving her the strength to know she is not alone. I love you Papa!