My dad would have entered his sixties today.
Honest question here: What are you really supposed to do to celebrate the birthday of someone you love who has passed away? I ask because I'm honestly curious what other people think about it as well as how others spend those days.
If I were the dead one, I am sure I'd want the people who love and miss me to do something that makes them happy. And also something that makes them think of me. Something that would make other people happy.
This year I thought about it and figured 60 is a pretty monumental birthday. I wanted to do something for my dad's birthday that would honor him & his life... things he would maybe be doing if he were still alive today - mostly things that would bring other people joy because that's what he would be doing if he were still alive.
So I'm actively putting together a list of 60+ things to do for my dad's 60th birthday. Things that will make me happy. Ways to remember my dad... to honor him... to make it feel like there are little pieces of him still on earth that he left behind. Ways to make Grampa Scott more real for my kids. Little things, big things... things me and Dad did together and some of the things we didn't have time to do. It's a way to take one of those BIG "I miss you" moments and make it something happy and beautiful.
Here are some of the things on the list so far:
Once I get the list together I'm sure I'll post it in it's entirety... but those are some examples for now. If you have some ideas for the list, feel free to share because I'd love to hear them.
Honest question here: What are you really supposed to do to celebrate the birthday of someone you love who has passed away? I ask because I'm honestly curious what other people think about it as well as how others spend those days.
If I were the dead one, I am sure I'd want the people who love and miss me to do something that makes them happy. And also something that makes them think of me. Something that would make other people happy.
This year I thought about it and figured 60 is a pretty monumental birthday. I wanted to do something for my dad's birthday that would honor him & his life... things he would maybe be doing if he were still alive today - mostly things that would bring other people joy because that's what he would be doing if he were still alive.
So I'm actively putting together a list of 60+ things to do for my dad's 60th birthday. Things that will make me happy. Ways to remember my dad... to honor him... to make it feel like there are little pieces of him still on earth that he left behind. Ways to make Grampa Scott more real for my kids. Little things, big things... things me and Dad did together and some of the things we didn't have time to do. It's a way to take one of those BIG "I miss you" moments and make it something happy and beautiful.
Here are some of the things on the list so far:
- Donate blood every 8-10 weeks. I'm really NOT excited about this one. I have terrible veins and as a result really hate needles and giving blood or anything dealing with needles... but Dad was big on donating so I'm gonna give it a go.
- Take the kids to Dairy Queen, Cici's Pizza, Backyard Burgers... the places he used to work at and where I have memories of going to see him!
- Take the kids to a hockey game. My dad loved hockey and liked to go to games... he also loved to support local sports. I think he would have really loved having an NBA team in Memphis!!!
- Take the kids to a redbirds game. He loved baseball - especially the Cubs!
Once I get the list together I'm sure I'll post it in it's entirety... but those are some examples for now. If you have some ideas for the list, feel free to share because I'd love to hear them.
Happy birthday, Dad. I love you.
Bike rides! That would be a good one for the fam. And remember when we'd go to the dollar store after the recycling center? I loved getting to pick out one thing, even if it was soooo random like not even a toy, whatever one thing we wanted lol. And that tater tot hot dish makes me think of him, even if it wasn't his recipe. Hawaiian shirts for everyone. Tobasco on all your food for a day. Taking all the kids to the grocery store, like for fun (which I have no idea how he pulled that off- maybe if you went just for a few things lol.) I remember bday parties where we made our own little pizzas and gave those big DQ shirts as party favors. And he LOVED space, very fitting for Presley, so going somewhere like the pink palace or incorporating space stuff in some way would be fun. He liked the freeze dried food for astronauts too, lol. Idk, just some late night thoughts after being up changing kid sheets.
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