July 8, 2015

Dear Dad,

Has it been four months now since you passed away? And ten years that Mother’s been gone? My goodness! How time is flying! And yet, how sadness lingers.

Oh yes, I’m grieving. The finality of your leaving us has been a real blow to me. Grieving is such a mystery to me! I don’t understand it~ at times I’m just swept away by it, and I never know when it will hit me. Sometimes, Dad, the tears just come in a tidal wave ~ often in the night or the early morning hours. And then it’s over, or so I think. But then it sneaks up on me again when I’m least expecting it.  But I think of you and Mother more often than ever now ~ whether I’m shedding tears or not. You’re always with me! In good times or bad, happy or sad! Which brings me to the subject of this letter!

Thank you, thank you for being a chocolate lover! Although I admit it’s been both a blessing and a curse in my life, chocolate has gotten me through some tough times! I couldn’t get by without it, and I know I owe that to you.

One of the best things about growing up in our home was that Mother kept a bowl full of Hershey’s kisses at all times, just for you! There’s no doubt that you had a strong love relationship with chocolate, in all its delectable forms. And of course, we kids were beneficiaries of that “love relationship” as well…I remember there were Hershey’s bars in every size and shape in our home, as well as Hershey’s syrup and Hershey’s cocoa…comfort food of the highest order…

As you grew older, of course, you switched from Hershey’s kisses to chocolate chip cookies…your favorites were the soft and chewy ones. You also decided, after researching the subject at length, that a large tablespoon of Hershey’s cocoa (unsweetened of course) taken daily, was very good for your health! Yep! You took it just like medicine! (I never witnessed this personally, but I wondered if you had to hold your nose.) And that’s why you so neatly cut the paper in the top of the can ~ so you could carefully measure it. It must’ve done its job ~ after all, you lived to be 90 years old!

Well, anyway, even though you’ve been gone for a few months now, you’ve been on my mind all day today. The reason? Because today I made a “Texas Sheet Cake.” I think you’d have loved it, although you might’ve said it was ‘too rich!’ Sadly, I never baked one for you, because by the time I started baking it you’d already left us to join Mother in heaven. The reason it reminded me of you, though, is because I used YOUR can of cocoa in the recipe. Both the CAKE and the FROSTING were made with generous measures of cocoa. And I want to thank you again for always stocking up on cocoa. You knew I’d need it one day, didn’t you? Thank you, Dad! I miss you. I miss Mother more than ever. Will you please give my love to everyone there for me?