Discovering a Story

Today we went on an excursion to Joshua Tree National Park. Everything about the excursion was amazing but there is one thing that made my heart particularly happy.

We discovered that one of the couples on the tour was from the same city we live in. That in itself was not so surprising as many people escape the snow and cold in winter for the warmth of the desert. The amazing thing I did discover after chatting with Danny and Connie was that my dad was one of Danny's professors when he was in law school and that they had known each other after that as well. 

Dad died suddenly almost fourteen years ago. I don't meet many people who knew him professionally, let alone hear stories about him. 

Danny told me what he remembered about my dad both professionally and personally. Dad was a pretty serious man but he could be unexpectedly quite funny. He also had a big smile and a loud laugh. It was nice to hear him remembered in a way that I also remember him. 

Then Danny shared a story about Dad that really stuck with him. Connie also remembered Danny sharing this story with her. One day during a conversation, Dad told Danny that he was going to stop practicing law full time so he could spend one day a week looking after his granddaughter (and a few years later her younger sister). He wanted to know her and be part of her growing up. Danny remembered that and thought to himself that one day when he had grandkids he would like to do the same thing. 

He then told me that this was a little part of Dad's legacy as Danny has also taken time to know his grandkids in this way. 

I am so grateful that Dad felt this way and made time for his granddaughters. It gave them a chance to know each other and for them to have strong memories of him. 

I am also grateful for meeting Danny and Connie today and discovering a story that made my heart happy.