A few of my favorite memories as a child include my dad. My dad liked a lot of things - trains, fish, baseball - but one of the passions we shared together was a love of astronomy. My dad would read books and record tv shows about the stars, constellations, and comets. He would even write about the stuff in his journals! Needless to say, he was a big fan. :)
When I was in the third grade, my dad came to my class and gave a presentation about the solar system. He taught us how to memorize the names of the 9 planets by teaching us this funny little phrase: "My very educated mother just served us nine pickles." He pulled out a map and showed us how to locate some of the popular constellations - the Big & Little Dipper, Orion's Belt, the Seven Sisters.
Sometime that same year he took my class on a "field trip." We didn't go far, just to a dark field early in the morning with a couple of telescopes set up. You see, it was the same time that the famous Haley's comet was making it's way around again, and he wanted us to see it. Unfortunately, we never could get a clear view of the comet. BUT, we were able to see the rings of Saturn, which was very cool! And we got to go to McDonald's for breakfast, which was also very cool!
I miss my dad today. But, I'm grateful for the memories that we made together and the fun times we shared. I'm thankful that I could share the first 10 years of my life with him, and even more thankful that one day I'll be able to spend eternity with him!
