Blogging at 4:00 a.m.

Well - here I am again!!  It is 4:00 a.m. and I am awake again.  For the past 6-8 months I have woken up between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning.  This is quite unusual as I have been a night person my whole life.  For years I have struggled to get up in the morning as I have gone to bed so late.  It seems the change of life has thrown me into another routine and actually - I kind of like it.  I am amazed at what I can get done in the morning when it is quiet. I seem to be able to focus on more contemplative things and actually have some pretty clear inspiration early in the morning!!

I wanted to write a little about what I am grateful for.  Yesterday was Father's Day and I am so thankful for my father who taught me so many things by his wonderful example.  I am writing this again as I had a long post written and it went off into cyberspace - so maybe this will be different than what I wrote the first time.  The flowers in this post are in honor of my father.  We hear talk of "Flower Girl" - my dad was "Flower Boy".  The pictures of the peonies are of plants that I got as starts from my dad's yard 20 years ago and whenever I see them in their full glory - I think of my dad!!

"Zowie" "Isn't that the prettiest color of pink you ever saw"  "Look at that petal - isn't it unique!!"  "If you look at them from this angle - you get a different perspective"

Dad always saw the unusual and the special qualities!!

I had a Sam Pearson experience on Saturday - the day before Father's Day.  I had gone to Goodwill to drop off some items and of course went inside to look around.  I was checking out and a woman came up to the register and asked if anyone had turned in a purse.  She had lost hers and was in a frantic state.  The clerk said no and she went around frantically looking for it.  She went out to her car to see if she had left it there.

I couldn't just leave without helping her and so I walked out to her car and asked her if it was there and she said no and I asked her how she got in her car and she said that her son who was with her had an extra set of keys.  And then she started telling me that her cell phone, her keys, her credit cards - all of her information was in her purse and that whoever had her purse had access to her home, everything and she didn't know what to do.

I said - let's go back into the store and look for your purse and retrace your steps of where you were.  So we went in and I asked her if she had gone down the aisles and she said  - no that she had not gotten that far yet.  She then made the comment that people just weren't honest anymore.  That instead of turning something in that they found they just kept it.  I assured here that there were a lot of honest people still in the world.  So we went over to the side of the store that she had been in and basically walked right to her purse that was hanging with the other purses.  A clerk must have found it and thought it was out of place.

She started crying and hugged me for about 2 minutes and then apologized for saying that everyone was dishonest.  She told me her name was Robin and I shared with her that my name was Robin and she thanked me for caring enough to help her.  I told her that my dad was a super sleuth and could find anything and I had learned from him.  I truly felt that God had blessed this woman through me - I left the store feeling very humbled.

My father was loved by so many - he taught Industrial Arts at Freeman High School and I don't think I have heard a negative thing about him.  I have had grown men say to me:

"I loved your Dad"  "My father did not like teachers but he liked your dad" "What I really miss about your dad was his whistle"  "Your dad was my favorite teacher"  "Can I just hug you - I would love to hug the daughter of Sam Pearson"  "You got to grow up in the home of Sam Pearson?"  "My kids have the most beautiful projects they made in your dad's woodshop"

These are the kinds of comments I have heard about my dad since his death 15 years ago.  He was truly a light in the community.  If I can be even half the light my father was then I will feel that I have been successful in emulating the love of the Savior to others.  Dad I miss you - not a day goes by that I don't think about you - your spirit is all around me and I know you have been there for me as I have gone through some of my hardest trials - I have felt your presence - your love!!  Happy Fathers Day!!