Note: This writing was originally posted to Facebook on September 25, 2022 in honor of National Daughters Day.
I’m gonna flip the script on National Daughters Day (goodness knows AK and Lily get enough attention) and share a special moment about being a daughter.
My daddy looks almost mad in the picture as he walked me down the aisle on my wedding day, and if he had been healthy that might have been a fact. He probably would have refused to give me away. He was fiercely protective of me until he couldn’t be anymore.
But daddy wasn’t mad. He was thinking. He had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease and was trying very, very hard here to remember what he was supposed to do.
Before the church doors opened, Daddy repeated over and over under his breath, “Her mother and I. Her mother and I…” He knew what he was supposed to say. He also knew he might not remember the words.
Every October – and sometimes as early as August – my spirit begins to grieve. It’s like my subconscious knows what’s coming. The anniversary of daddy’s death. This November will mark 15 years without him.
I have wondered more than usual lately about the bond he would have shared with my daughters. No doubt he would have loved them fiercely too.
I’m so glad to be Dennis Echols’ daughter. And I can’t wait to hug him again.
