I've hesitated posting this because I don't want this to come across like a contest - it is not one.  But I know that when I first came to AA, getting up in the morning was overwhelming; getting a job was beyond comprehension, showing up was often more than I could pull off.  For many of us, we've come along way since then and have been able to do all these things with ease undreamed of and even some things that were beyond our wildest dreams and even our imagination at the time and so, this post is pretty much for the newcomer - to inspire and show that there is much more ahead than they can dream of - if they stay sober.

in sobriety we are able to give our loved ones some great gifts, the greatest of these is a sober daughter, spouse, son, father, mother, etc.  Some of us were able to be by the deathbed of a loved one and hold their hand and give them words of comfort that we would have never been able to be present for in our drinking.  Some help out parents in their old age instead of relying on them to bail us out of our messes as we once did.

Here was the greatest gift I was able to give: My father put up with alot during my drinking but I always knew I was loved.  In 2006, he retired early because he couldn't stand to spend the eight hours at work away from my stepmom of thirteen years.  They were crazy in love.  One week after he retired, they found a tumor in her brain; two weeks later she died.  The day after he funeral dad had a massive coronary and quad bypass.

I flew out and wheeled him into surgery and waited for him to come out.  He was in the hospital for four days and I stayed with him the whole time.  I brought him home and while his sister sat with him I flew home, bought a car, loaded everything that would fit into it and drove cross country.  I stayed with him for nine months watching as his body healed and his heart didn't.

I went back to my life, calling him every day since then.  Dad owned a little one man used car lot before he retired.  He worked stupid hours trying to give us everything we could ever want.  Sixteen to eighteen hours a day, six days a week.  I honestly don't know how he did it.  One day in 2010, I asked him what his favorite car of all time was.  I never finished the sentence.  1955OldsmobileSuper88Holidaytheblueandwhiteone came rushing out of his mouth.  He spent the next 45 minutes talking about this car and how he always wanted it but never did come by one.  I hadn't heard him ever talk so passionately about anything except my stepmom Shirley.  I talked to the wife and the rest is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzu-d7_Hf7A

 

Fricken Awesome...

Brought tears to my eyes too...Beautiful stuff!

Thanks for sharing that...Made my day!

That's seriously the coolest thing I've seen in a while..must've felt great to be in a place and position to be able to do that for your father :) great job on shocking the crap outta him!

I just watched it again...I can't help it, your Dad is so cute. (He's kinda hot, too imho). I loved how your Dad stopped in the middle of all his excitement to tell you how good you look, and meant it sincerely...not telling you that just because you bought him his dream car....you could tell how proud of you he is, and sincerely meant it when he told you that you look good! Aww....

As the response to this thread was more than I expected, here's the lead up to it:

He didn't know that I was in town, that too was a surprise. At about 4am I snuck over to his home and placed a large manila envelope into the mailbox and snuck away. I call him every morning about 7:20am - 7:30am and today was no different.

Dad: Good morning!

Me: Good morning dad! Okay, I need your help with something - it's really important.

Dad: Of course, what do you need?

Me: I had someone drop something off last night but I guess you were sleeping so they put it in the mailbox. I need you to grab it and go through it in the office.

Dad: Okay, hang on. [pause] I've got it. Hang on while I go to the office. [pause] Okay, I'm here. Open it?

Me: Yes. Inside you will find five envelopes numbered 1-5. I need you to go through them in order.

During this time I am driving from a couple of streets over and parking in his driveway, putting the keys over the visor and scurrying around the corner of the house to hide. Envelope #1 is a note from me to him basically telling him that I love him and got him as gift. Something along the lines of:

When I think back of all the things you've given me throughout my life, it quickly becomes apparent that those things I treasure the most are not things at all. How ironic then that I would think to give you a thing to show my love - you remain my teacher in love and fatherhood.

He reads it and chokes up. Letter #2 is from my wife, her version of the same idea, telling him how much she appreciates him and loves him. How much she has wanted a father and how grateful she is to finally have one that will return her love.

Envelope #3 is a card. A perfect card except for one letter - the last letter of the last word which I used white out on to erase it. On the front the card said, "Guess who loves you." and on the inside it said (before I whited out the offending letter), "The same person who loves you everyday, but today you get a card."

Envelope number 4 is a copy of an auto registration in his name with the car blacked out along with an insurance card with the car blacked out and a copy of a license plate. I swear I heard him blink over the phone.

Dad: What is this? I don't understand.

Me: What does it look like?

Dad: A registration? But I don't have a car that's registered. [he uses a dealers plate]

Me: What else?

Dad: An insurance card?

Me: Who is it made out for?

Dad: Well, it says me but...

Me: Do you recognize the license plate?

Dad: No.

Me: Better open up envelope number five.

Envelope #5 says: The real registration is in the glove box, the keys are over the visor and your car is in the driveway.

Dad: My car is in the garage...

Me: Go outside dad.

That's really cool...Something that just doesn't happen in our drinking days...
The miracles of this program..Good stuff man!!

Yep, that's me ... ... ... got my mom's 'emotional DNA' ... I sometimes hate it, but it did help me snag my wife 40 years ago ... LOL