"It doesn't tell time."

One of the thing I loved about and miss most about my dad was how he could make people feel so special. If he was talking to you, you felt like you were the only one in the room. The story you were telling was the most interesting story ever told. 

He pointed out unique things about people and remembered them. He just had a knack for making you feel like a special person. No matter who you were. 

One other way he did that for those he loved the most was in buying special gifts and surprising us with them. Nothing expensive or extravagant, but always heartfelt and extremely meaningful in someway, even if we didn't always understand it! 

In his eyes it was something that he saw and he thought, 'they have to have it!' It was one of his special ways of letting you know that he was thinking about you that day or just that item made him think of you and smile...and therefore, it was going to become yours. 

This watch was one of those things he bought for me.

 

Its not really my style. Its pretty big for me, I actually wear it as a braclet and turn the face of it to the inside. I like that look better. 

It is a 'D'. For my married last name. I know why he gave it to me. I know what it meant.

It meant that I was his little girl and he gladly gave me to Jordan and to that new last name. Kind of like his saying that seeing us together and our family made him really happy. I know, that's pretty deep for a watch. But he never gave a gift without some kind of meaning behind it like that. 

It doesn't work. It hasn't in a long time. But I still wear it, not daily, really only a couple times every couple weeks. But it never fails, whenever I do, someone asks me for the time. 

"It doesn't tell time." I say

"Well why do you wear it then?" they respond.

"Normally, I shrug and walk away. Tuesday when someone asked me somewhat rudely, I said, "It tells a different kind of story." And then I walked away. 

You see, the most special thing about this watch is how I got it. 

My dad had been gone about 4 days. My brother's and I and all our families were at my mom's trying to figure out what to do with each other...the funeral was still 3 days away. 

My mom called me into the kitchen and said, "You know how your dad used to buy gifts and then hide them away for 'someday'? Well he bought this for you a couple of months ago and told me to keep it somewhere until he could think of a good time to give it to you. I think this would qualify as a good time."

I was instantly in tears. Instantly realizing one more thing that I was never going to get to experience with him again. 

I opened the watch and knew that it would become one of the most special 'things' I will ever own. 

So no, it doesn't tell time...it tells me a story though. Every time I look at it, it tells me a really, really great story.