The Robe

Anna has been asking me to write this story about dad for a few days so I am fulfilling her request.

My dad was never one to wear either pajamas or a robe. When it came to bedtime wear he was a minimalist. The most I ever saw him wear was a pair of boxer shorts. This is why his purchase of a fuzzy gray robe seemed so strange. The day before he passed away he and mom stopped in Bemidji for a little shopping and a quick lunch. He gave her thirty minutes to shop and when they met up again he had two big bags and she had nothing. She was very surprised when she saw the robe. Later that night home in Thief River dad was strutting around wearing the robe. "Myles" Susie said, "you look like a great big gray squirrel in that robe." "I'm not a squirrel, I'm the Easter bunny," dad said as he hopped around the living room. Later mom commented that she was cold. "You just want to wear my robe," he teased. "If nothing else we can always cut this up for chamois clothes....it was only five dollars."

Dad was joking and laughing with all of us until the very last moment we had together. We'll miss all your practical jokes and antics, dad. There is a hole in our hearts that can't be filled.