A Dad's Love

Every time I hear this song, it reminds me of my dad. He loves all of us kids so much and a big way that he shows it is by fixing our bikes, our cars, our sinks, our doors, our heaters, our tables...and everything else that might break. I have never seen anything, that my dad couldn't fix!! I say, "I love you" and this is how he says it back...


He checked the air in my tires
The belts and all the spark plug wires
Said "When's the last time
"You had this oil changed"
And as I pulled out the drive
He said "Be sure and call your mom sometime"
And I didn't hear it then
But I hear it now
He was saying "I love you"

120,000 miles
Six years down the road
A brand new life and a brand new wife
We'd just bought our first home
When he finally came to visit
I thought he'd be so proud
He never said he liked the place
He just got his tool belt out

And put new locks on the doors
Went back and forth to the hardware store
Said "Come and hold this flashlight"
As he crawled beneath the sink
And "These old wires ain't up to code"
And "That circuit box is gonna overload"
And I didn't hear it then
But I hear it now
He was saying "I love you"
The only way he knew how

Last Sunday, we all gathered
For his 65th birthday
And I knew he'd stiffen up
But I hugged him anyway
When it was finally time to say goodbye
I knew what was next
Just like he always does
Right before we left