This is a popcorn popper. On the outside, there's nothing really special about this appliance but it means a lot to me. We had it out to pop popcorn for family movie night last week and the kids overfilled it and it started smoking. I thought for sure that it had died.
I've had that popper for nearly 15 years. It was my first day at college at Utah State. I was moving into my first apartment and I was terrified. Starting new things and being in a new place can be really exciting but mostly scary. My family was helping me to move in and as they left, I discovered that my dad had left this popcorn popper behind.
For years, popcorn had been a comfort food to me. Heber would joke at the beginning of our marriage that if he came home to the smell of popcorn, he knew that something bad had happened. I think it was a small way that my dad could tell me that it was going to be ok.
Now, the popper did not die and I was relieved because I wasn't ready to let it go.
So that's the memory I'll share on this Father's Day week. As I mother, I see more clearly the challenges of knowing how to show a child love in a way that will meet their needs. I appreciate my dad and all he's given me but especially that first day of college.
