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AM THE FATHER OF THREE A Father’s Memories
amazing daughters; well, now they are
I amazing mothers. My memory of their
asking me to pick them up, to read the By C.F. Illingworth
Berenstain Bears to them and pull them
in a cart will never be forgotten. There is Photo Courtesy of C.F. Illingworth
a special relationship that a dad has with
his children when they are growing up;
and then a very different rapport after couldn’t believe my eyes. She had used mural that my granddaughter created for
they are grown. Now that I am a grandpa, my white and green paint to draw pat- me? Well, when you are a grandfather
I have been able to relive those times with terns, as only a child could paint, using you must cherish those moments. Now,
my grandchildren. Several months ago, her fingers to spread the paint around. every time I go into my shop, I see the
I received a text from one of my friends I then looked down at her and saw that creation that my little one made for me.
entitled, “The last time”. It tells about the her shoes and dress were paint splattered It always gives me a warm feeling and of
last time a parent holds their sleeping as well. I could only imagine what her course makes me proud to be a Grandpa.
child. The last time they hold up their mother would say. My little granddaugh- Mr. Illingworth is the author of a
hands to be kissed goodnight, or the last ter looked up at me with those beautiful comical, country, family themed book,
time they want you to pick them up and brown eyes and said, “I painted this for published on Amazon.com. You can
cuddle them. Unfortunately, you will not you, Grandpa.” I could stop here and let purchase the e-book or the paperback
know the last times for any of these events you envision what happened next; but by typing, “Living in the Land of Cheese
until there are no more times. I want to instead, I will say that I spent the next Curds and Cow Pies”, or you can type in
tell you that as a parent you will yearn for hour cleaning her up and telling her C F Illingworth.
just one more time; yeah, just one more. how proud I was of her painting. I also
So now that I am a grandpa, I can enjoy a told her that next time she should wait For more information you can contact
few more last times; but this time it is with for Grandpa to help her. What about the Mr. Illingworth at: cfi369@sbcglobal.net
my grandkids. I want to share with you
just one experience that I cherish.
I remember one spring day in April
I decided to do some touchup painting
in my workshop. My daughter dropped
by with my four-year old grandchild. She
asked if I would watch the little one for
a few hours while she and my wife went
shopping. I told her that I would be glad
to babysit for the afternoon. Soon the
little one and I were in my shop and she
was playing in the sawdust with some
toy animals. After selecting some paint,
I began to coat the area of the shop that
needed it the most. After a minute or
two, nature called to me. I made my way
to the house for a few minutes. When I
returned, my little granddaughter met
me with great excitement that only a
four-year old could naïvely express, say-
ing “Grandpa, Grandpa, come look what
I did for you.” The excited look on her
face and the enthusiasm in her voice told
me that she felt it was something special.
I thought that she had probably used the
sawdust she was playing with to create
a design, or maybe a hill of dust that
her toy animal could stand on. As she
drew me toward the end of the shop, I
noticed there was paint on the shop floor,
the wall and my bench. Oh my gosh, I

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