every day i wake up on top of the dirt is a great moment....lol. honestly, when the doc told me that he could pull dad's feeding tube out and we could bring him home, he said dad would live 3 days tops. when dad came home and asked for chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, i cooked some up and mashed it all real fine. some good ol' fashion cowboy grub kept my dad goin' for another 3 weeks before he was called home. i cooked for him whenever he asked and that was the best time of my life. he was ready to go home he said, but he didnt wanna go to his grave in debt to his stomach. " git to cookin boy" were his words to me. this man adopted a kid that was no blood kin of his own, but he took me in because he knew i needed a home and his love. everyday i spent with him was my greatest moment. he was not a cowboy, but he knew this hellion he was raising was. never once did he discourage me from being me. he only helped and encouraged me to be that all that i could be. no, he didnt understand when i felt the need to pick myself up outta the dust and go back for more. let me tell ya though, he was right there cheering me on. when i found a job that was too far to ride my horse or walk to, he was the one who took me and then came to get me. setting in church, i would have swore that his arms were 10 feet long, as he could reach to the far end of the pew and thump me on the off side of the head. he wasnt a perfect dad but he was "MY" dad. he taught me everything that i know about life and how to treat others. he taught me how to work and how to treat a lady. to others this may not be a "greatest moment", but every minute i spent with this man was a sho'nuff great moment to this kid that didnt have a snowballs chance. i sure miss him and i only wish that others could have the same chance that i did. i was 4 years old and this man told me that had adopted me. that was my greatest moment.