So much has happened in the last couple of days that I don't even know where to begin. I think maybe I should start by saying that life can certainly take twists and turns!

Last Sunday I received a call from my mother and I guess I had been dreading such a call for some time. She said that Daddy was in the hospital and may have had a heart attack. I knew something was wrong before she uttered three words since I know my mother well enough to have guessed that something was up just by the way she said "Hi" rather than something like "Hey girl, what are you up to?".

Needless to say, I was floored. That was Sunday night. By the time that I made it to Paris, TX (where Daddy was in the hospital), the doctor was recommending that he be sent to Baylor in Dallas immediately. He needed bypass surgery. It was all too much and that was Monday...

Tuesday, Daddy had the surgery and it was the longest 4-5 hours of my family's life. At 5:05 on Tuesday afternoon, the doctor came out and informed us that Daddy was doing great. Doc was oddly nonchalant about the ordeal. I wanted him to run out and high five all of us and celebrate. I guess insurance probably doesn't pay for victory laps...

Strangely enough, I was able to get through the entire ordeal without completely losing control. We stayed to make sure Daddy was doing OK, then we flew home. I even went to work for a couple of hours. Then, as I was driving home with my Caytie in the backseat, it occurred to me that we came close to losing Daddy. Close behind this thought was the idea that my baby might not have known him. Of course, then I became hysterical. Not good when you are operating a motor vehicle with a 4.5 month old infant inside.

Now I know that for me, losing Daddy would have been tragic beyond anything that I can describe. But, how much more tragic would it have been for my daughter? I at least have so many precious memories, but what would she have? I could have told her all about him and his outrageous sense of humor, his kindness and unwavering integrity. But, would my words have been colorful enough to actually convey the man that Daddy is? No, she would have been robbed of a wonderful role model of what a great man truly looks like.

My comfort in all of this is that Daddy is recovering nicely and tonight I will put Cayton to bed knowing that she will know her Papaw and she will grow to appreciate him in the way that I and so many others do.