Wednesday, November 11, 2015

My Father on Veteran's Day


    

My father was a man of few words.  As a young child, he was like a stranger to me; a man who got up at six in the morning, ate a dry doughnut, drank two or three cups of coffee, then went to work.

           Since I was the fifth child in the family, he spent very little time with me,
 but there are a few rare moments I remember.

When Jimmy Carter was running for president, he made me stay up late on night and watch him on TV.  When Richard Nixon was impeached, he made me watch the news and when the movie, The Bridge over the River Kwai, was on television, he had me watch it with him.  He felt all these things were important and I was glad to share them with him. I’ve never really been sure why he did any of these,
 but they are moments I remember.

When I was sixteen, I had begun to aspire to being a writer.  I wrote poetry and signed them with the name Freebird.  I never realized until years later, how he honored this, by giving me a gold pen for Christmas that year with the name Freebird inscribed on it.  He actually called me Freebird for many years.

            The most significant memory I have of my father though are the special words he would say when I would bring him a glass of Pepsi every night.  He would tell me, “You are better than an airy angel.”

 As a young girl, I did not understand what he was saying, I thought he was saying, “You are better than a veterinarian angel.”  In my childish mind, I believed he was comparing me to a nurse in World War II.
           As an adult, he and I grew closer.  We had many deep conversations and I came to understand him on a different level that as a child I never could.  

I miss this man, who was born on November 11.  So each year, on Veteran’s Day, It’s not only the strangers who have gone to war to protect the United States, I honor, but the memory of my father as well.

Happy Veteran’s Day.  Happy Birthday Dad.




LOVE FOUND AT HARBOR INN MAINE ( A CHRISTMAS ROMANCE)
Christmas in Harbor Inn Maine

When Penny Trent, Owner of Cake Time in Harbor Inn Maine, meets Kyle London, a famous writer who has come to to close down his Grandmother’s coffee shop Just a Cup, 
there is an immediate attraction between them.

Penny, busy cooking for the Mayor’s Christmas party, the town’s annual Bake Off and trying to persuade Kyle to keep Just a Cup open, doesn’t have time for holiday traditions or to 
embark on a new relationship, even if it is with the man of her dreams.

Will Kyle be able to convince Penny to enjoy the holidays and believe in his desire to get to know her better? Will Kyle and Penny be able to save the coffee shop by  combining forces and  find a lasting relationship by Christmas?  

FIND AT AMAZON


 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing your priceless memories. I also appreciate how adulthood has strengthened my relationship with my Dad, and his support to me as a writer. Remembrance Day (the Canadian equivalent) isn't his birthday, but he always made a big deal out of it which I now appreciate. :)

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  2. I also miss my father very much and he was always my champion. He is the one who helped me with my homework and he read to me when I couldn't. He also showed me, by his love of the written word, how important reading is. He worked every day to provide for his family and although he wasn't in a high profile job, was honored at his visitation and funeral by almost 600 people paying their respect. Thank you for sharing your memories and for reminding me how blessed we are to have wonderful fathers.
    Happy Birthday to your father in Heaven!

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