#forwalter

I miss his personality, his good morning kisses, the vodka tonics he made everyday at 5PM and not a minute later, his large hands that engulfed mine, and his devilish smile. 

More than I am sad though, I am thankful for my time with him. 

Mornings around the kitchen table, walking to the polo fields after dinner, driving to pick up peaches, surrounded by family in the kitchen listening to him say grace, Edisto adventures, and breakfast runs after church.

I miss his tall stance that intimidated me in my youth and was my comforting shadow as I grew.

Our talks - listening to his stories and his guidance with his head low to mine over a glass of wine, as all I wanted in those moments was to make him proud.

I miss his voice and the ways his eyes twinkled before he would wink at me across the room and make me feel like his favorite. 

When he would holler at me to stop running through the dining room or slamming the pocket doors.

The way he complained about the littlest ones but those were the ones he thrived with. 

These moments are full of love and I am deeply thankful for each of them. 

I am thankful for what I learned from him - his strength and his willingness to serve, his motivation to be his best and expect the best.  . 

I am thankful to have known him and be molded by his example. 

And I am beyond thankful to think of him now - safe with God, not labored in breath, enjoying his youth.

I know he spends his days playing baseball, drinking martinis, and with the same twinkle in his eye. 

Until then...