Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Of All Things I Remember, I Remember My Daddy's Hat...

......I have heard this from the Chief for years. The Chief's daddy was murdered when he was only 10 years old. Throughout the years I have learned about the extreme harshness inflicted upon the Chief and his brother's, coupled with all the great memories the Chief has of his Daddy. One thing that is a constant in talking with the Chief and other family members is that someone always seems to mention the hat. I always asked, "Where is the hat? What happened to it?" I learned that the hat was taken by a family member after the Chief's daddy died and was buried. Later I would learn that it was just sitting in a garbage bag for 26 years or more shoved into a closet.

We have know for years that this family member lives a county away from where we live now, so last Summer we took a trip over to see her. This was the Chief's aunt (his daddy's sister). We had a great visit, although I was GREAT with child and miserable, I loved listening to the Chief go down memory lane (good and bad) as we got closer to our destination.

Quite a few months went by, actually 5 months rolled by and the Chief's birthday was approaching. I was doing dishes one day, and had a thought come to me....."it never hurts to ask" I thought, I wonder if anyone has ever just "asked" Aunt Mary Alice for the hat? I learned a LONG time ago the worst someone could ever say to you when you ask for something is NO.

So with a little scheming (I had to get her # from the Chief's phone) I called and asked. Without a moments hesitation the reply was, "If I can find it, you can have it." Scuse' me? What was that? For real?....now weeks pasted and I hadn't heard anything and I was getting worried, I finally got a call, "I am so sorry, I have searched hi and low and I just can not find it." I was a bucket of tears, I was so sad...so I started praying. "Lord, help me honor my husband, with this gift. Help me please to show him my love by working this out. Please find that hat for me."

Two days later and 1 week before the Chief's birthday I got the call. "I have found it." I will bring it to you.

So with the Lords help I was able to be there to watch the Chief receive his Daddy's hat, his daddy's hat with greased finger prints on it, his daddy's hat with his daddy's hair still on the inside, the hat his daddy last wore. A hat the Chief will pass down to our sons and hopefully their sons. A hat that in a memory filled with sad and horrific things brings the "good" memories to my husbands mind. A hat the Chief had not seen in 26 years. I have never seen my husband at a loss for anything. There were no words...he was in awe that in his hands he was holding his daddy's hat.

I am honored to be a part of watching him get the hat, I am grateful that I was listening when the Holy Spirit whispered " It never hurts to ask."







5 comments:

Heather said...

now that made me cry.
so precious.

Anita said...

Wow......what an awesome story! Gives me goosebumps :) And the pictures you took......gosh.....how neat!!! I love the kind of gifts that just cannot be bought with money :)

Cathy said...

Wow... Amen.

BeLoVed AiMeE said...

waahh I'm crying now. that was beautiful. I'm so glad that God opened this door for your dh!

Allison said...

Aimee GREAT Post! Made me teary! So very special.