Daddy's Girl

Erica & Dad at 1994 FFA Banquet.

Within our family Erica was affectionately referred to as Daddy's Girl. If you called her this she would agree with you. Erica and Dad shared a lot of common interests. When it came to sports Erica was a better athlete than myself and she enjoyed watching sporting events with Dad.

When Erica was in high school she started showing sheep in FFA, Future Farmers of America. This provided Erica and Dad another activity to share together. They spent many hours taking care of Erica's sheep, attending sheep sales and shows and working on the project together. It was a lot of hard work but they enjoyed spending the time with each other.

Erica knew if she wanted something and she pushed hard enough Dad would give in.  We often teased that she had him wrapped around her little finger.  Whatever Erica wanted she eventually got.  She was Daddy's Girl.  We all miss my Sister, a piece of our family puzzle is gone.  This Sunday is Father's Day and I know it will never be the same for my Dad without my Sister.  They were lucky to share a special relationship. 

Reality Check

photo © 2010 Kyle Kruchok | more info (via: Wylio)It is so easy to get depressed when I dwell on all the things I wish I'd done differently with my relationship with Erica.  But I have to keep things real.  We live in a society where transportation can take you anywhere and communication has become mobile.  So naturally families have grown further apart, geographically.  My husband and I live a couple of hours away from my family and I visit as much as I can.  The thing I have to keep reminding myself is our relationship was a two-way street.  I've beaten myself up for not calling her more, but she didn't call me either.  I've wished I would have signed up for facebook so we could have chatted, but I had email.  She could have sent me a text message, but she didn't.  The reality is our relationship would have continued on the same path it was on.  There were many times I went to my parents and she had other plans.  There were times she was in the Tulsa area and didn't call me to get together.  Each of us had our own personal struggles.  Erica went through a divorce.  I've struggled with fertility issues.  She worked nights and I worked days.  There were many things in our lives that kept us going different directions.  We were each living our own lives.  So when I take a reality check, I realize that neither one of us did anything to change our relationship.  You know the saying, "hindsight is 20/20?"  In this case it is so true.  All I can do is change the present, I can't change the past.