Doughnuts and Coffee = Love.

Doughnuts and stale coffee. To some of you this may sound disgusting, to others it may be a normal breakfast occurrence. To me, it is a memory I treasure. Not necessarily the food and beverage themselves but the scent. The lingering smell of hot, fresh Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts and stale black coffee fill me with fond memories from my childhood and reminds of my dad.

He always had to have his coffee in the morning. But it most reminds me of our road trips to the family farm or driving down to visit him for a while during the summer. It is comforting smell. It was funny though that in October when I was with my family, my dad pointed out that he had coffee that morning specifically so that he would smell like it for me. We both had a good chuckle. There was also an incident that weekend that left me crying in my dad's arms and engulfed by the smell of coffee. Just him saying, "It's okay, I've got you. Just let it all out."

It took me by surprise, but I was happy to have him there. He was never really around during my childhood or moody teen years for the emotional ups and downs of middle school and high school. Usually a friend is my shoulder to cry on, occasionally my mother is the one to hold me and let me cry. But it was nice to have him there. I felt an emotional pull which made me cry even harder. It was almost overwhelming that I actually had my daddy when I needed him. He was able to be there for me and tell me that everything was going to be okay. He could hold me until I stopped crying and shaking. My daddy was there to keep me from falling. My daddy was there to protect me from everything evil in the world.

Even though I hated the circumstances which caused me to cry, in the end I appreciate the experience. It was a wonderful reminder of my father's love. I needed that reminder because it in a way made me feel so much closer to my dad. Over the past few years, I have been trying to put my resentments and anger towards him in the past and this was the last wave to wash all of that away. I now have proof that if he had been able to be there for me through the raging storm that was high school and the horrendous amount of drama from middle school, he would have been there for me in a heartbeat.

It is not that I doubted his love, I guess I just never knew how he would react in those situations. I blame a serious lack of togetherness and ignorance on my part. Maybe I was too hard on him throughout the years. Actually, I probably was too hard on him. But now I know the error of my ways. I know I can count on him to be there for me now. Through anything, especially the big things.

Thanks to the smell of doughnuts and stale coffee I came to this realization. Those smells will always bring comfort and warmth to my heart. They will forever remind me of the love of my father.

Quote of the Day:

"I lost my phone during the final."
-Paige