Things I Remember About My Dad

It's been 13 years since my dad died.  I remember a brief, flash lightening storm that morning, seemingly right above the house- as if he were being carried by the bright light.  He was sick and it was such a relief he was no longer in pain.
My dad and I had a difficult relationship, I am a difficult daughter, my expectations of my dad and my need to improve him make me sad to this day.  He was a character and had a lot of eclectic interests and was always learning.
Despite what he often thought he was a good dad and I have a lot of fond memories of him growing up.  I remember story telling around the fire. I still see Yellow Eyes in the trees during dark star lit nights in the winter. I remember him getting ready for meetings and buttoning his top shirt button and breathing in Old Country.  I remember him coming home to pick up mom so they could go vote and him teasing me that our votes cancelled each other out. I remember him reminding me that I'd had a crush on Ralph Nader since I was 13.  I remember him performing "I'm Am Old Woman", and wrestling with him until he must have been exhausted.  Taking off his work boots that smelled of leather and sweat.  Singing church hymns on road trips and him teaching me how to build a fire from flint and steel. I remember the Christmas he gave the Complete Works of Emily Dickinson, it is one of my most treasured possessions.
I remember the day he first met Jacob, he was mad at me, mad that I walked away from the LDS Church, mad that I wasn't married, I knew it was going to be hard for him to forgive me and to accept Jacob.  But in the instant he saw Jacob sleeping in his swing I saw his heart melt and true love begin.  I remember him calling me in Salt Lake and telling me he and mom were on their way to get Jacob for a few days.  And how Jacob wasn't fazed by riding away with Grandpa, I couldn't get out of the way fast enough.
When he was sick and bed-ridden I remember him looking at me one day while I did something at his bedside and him saying, "I'm so glad it's you".  And I can still hear singing "You are My Sunshine", and knowing it was just for me.