Have you ever looked to see how many hours are in a year?

I haven't, until today, when I wondered how many hours I have gone without hearing 'hey baby girl!' or 'well, hey Bake!' or 'I love you!' from my dad. Who am I kidding? I also haven't heard "well, i didn't have a missed call from you?" when I knew damn well it showed up on his phone as a missed call and he just forgot to call me back. Bryan and I used to laugh (or roll our eyes) about it often.  

In case you were wondering, there are 8760 hours in a year. 

I'm don't want this to be sad stories about how much we miss him because well, that's obvious. Who doesn't miss that man? He made a lasting impression on every single person that ever met him. Bryan and I can only hope to carry on his legacy. 

Instead I will tell a few cool stories that have happened since he left us. 

A couple weeks before things took a turn, we had all of dad's family in New Bern together. Sharon, his mom, a cousin from Kentucky, his brother, sister and their families, as well as Bryan, her family and my crew. It was such a great weekend with everyone together. As we all sat outside watching the 'boys' try to figure out how to get a go-cart to work, a fox decided to show up. Instant fear from the group to get the kids inside because we didn't know what this fox was going to do. The gun came out and buckets were thrown, but the fox could not be scared away. He sat and watched. 

Fast forward to the day of dad's funeral. Bailey and Sutton (2 of David's granddaughters) went outside to check on a dog. Guess what was out there waiting for them? A fox. 

It doesn't stop there. Sharon noticed days after the funeral there was a fox that sat in the neighbor’s yard watching her whenever she went outside. They had lived in that house for several years and never seen it before. 

Seeing a pattern? 

In October last year, we took Sharon to the mountains. Walking around Boone, Sharon decided to go into an art shop. Guess what was on the wall? A beautiful painting of a fox. We told her she had to buy it. It hangs in her house today.

In June, my family and I decided it was time to buy a boat. The day we were going to sign the papers, I decided to go for a run before meeting Derek in Wilmington. I was in Ocean Isle, running the streets at the beach. While running, I was playing it all out in my head; were we making a mistake buying a boat the size we were getting, spending the money right now with all the uncertainties in the world? I had turned around and was heading back to the house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something running. I stopped. Y'all, it was a FOX at the beach, running down the street towards me. If that wasn't a sign of dad saying 'Just buy the damn boat! You can figure the rest out later.' then I don't know what it was. With tears and a smile, I ran the rest of the way home knowing he was there in that moment when I needed him to reassure me that it was OK, buy the boat and make the memories! 

About two months ago we got a video from dad's sister of the new pups (baby fox) that began coming out every morning to play in the sand where the original fox once sat and watched us. And just last night we got a text from her letting us know there is another litter of pups that just showed up, in that very same place. The conversation we all had last night, was pretty typical, when talking about dad. We all decided he is up there laughing his ass off watching his sister run between her house and his mom's house with a broom to shoo away the pups, or his brother in law running around the yard with a gun to scare them off. I can still hear his laugh. 

When the original fox showed up last July, we didn't realize then that a fox would soon become a symbol of my dad. Something that we can hold on to and know that he continues to watch over us. A cardinal is often seen and thought of as a representation of a loved one that has passed. But, not for David Stocks. It's a fox. 

So today, 8760 hours or 365 days later, we celebrate. We celebrate because that's what dad would want us to do. We celebrate the years we were all so blessed to have with him. We miss him like crazy and that will never change. But we know he left us the day he did because there is something else to do. It's to celebrate Dayton, his only grandson. Dad left us on Dayton's 12th birthday. So every year now, we can celebrate instead of mourn, the way dad would want it. It was never about him. It was always about his family. 

We cannot express our appreciation for the love and support you have all given during this journey. This will be the last 'journal' update that I write here. It's not goodbye, it's until we talk again. 

I hope you, like us, will spot a fox every now and then and smile and remember the fun and laughter that Dad brought to all of our lives. 

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In case you were wondering, a Fox symbolizes mischief, opportunity, playfulness, agility, cleverness, wisdom, beauty, luck, curiosity, charm and physical and mental responsiveness. Does this sound like the David you knew?