AUTHOR’S CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY — FEATURING KRISTINE RAYMOND
Things My Father Taught Me ~ by Kristine Raymond
I had the best dad in the world. I know many make the same claim, but in my case, it’s true. There was nothing he couldn’t do. (Except yodel. I never heard him yodel. Maybe it was his secret talent?) I absolutely adored him, and though he’s no longer here in the physical sense, I still do. I’m a daddy’s girl through and through.
When presented with this topic, my first thought wasn’t what am I going to write about? but rather, where do I begin? A huge part of who I am is a direct result of not only his DNA but of his influence and life lessons.
He taught me to embrace the outdoors; to appreciate the inhaled scent of a pine forest, and freshly turned earth ready for planting, and newly-cut hay drying in the sun. My love of animals, especially dogs, was a genetic certainty, and he instilled in me how to care for, clean up after, and cherish all creatures great and small.
He taught me to fish, and to canoe, and to camp. To “measure twice, cut once”, sharing his love of working with his hands (passed down to him from his carpenter father) as he explained the value of caring for things so they didn’t break and how to fix them when they 
did. I learned to change a tire – and the oil – before I ever learned how to drive a car which, you guessed it – he taught me to do. He was my first and only driving instructor, and his first rule was, “Never get behind the wheel without insurance and AAA”, which I’ve taken to heart, though it kinda negates the whole ‘learning how to change a tire’ lesson. To this day, I can still read a map and know the difference between a Phillips’ head screwdriver and an Allen wrench.
He taught me to love the smell of pipe tobacco, and the taste of Seckel pears, and the sound of a campfire crackling at dusk. He valued honesty and hard work and taught me to be respectful but also to stand up for myself when the situation called for it. My 
adventurous spirit comes from him as surely as my brown eyes, and maybe, just maybe, my stubbornness.
Most of all, he gave me my independence, teaching me that I’m capable of handling anything that comes my way. I’ll always love him for that. Sometimes, he visits me in my dreams, dropping by to check in, assuring me he’s always by my side. I’ve never had any doubt because I see him in me every time I look in the mirror or rescue a furbaby or hammer a nail. In every breathe I take, I am my father’s daughter, and I’ll always be eternally grateful for that.
The most important lesson he taught me? How to love with my whole heart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
It wasn’t until later in life that Kristine Raymond figured out what she wanted to be when she grew up, an epiphany that occurred in 2013 when she sat down and began writing her first novel. Over a dozen books in multiple genres later, there are a multitude of ideas floating around in her head thus assuring she’ll never be idle.
When a spare moment does present itself, she fills it by navigating the publishing and promotional side of the business. When not doing that, she spends time with her husband and furbabies (not necessarily in that order) at their home in south-central Kentucky, gardens, reads, or binge-watches Netflix.
To find out more, please visit her website at www.kristineraymond.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and BookBub.
Kristine is represented by Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity.
