Monday, May 4, 2009

I Miss My Dad...!

Let me tell you a bit about my Father.

We started our relationship of father and son in a strange way. You see, it was a time of war! The Second World War, the Big One, the War to end all Wars! It had many different names, but like all wars, it did one thing...it separated families from their loved ones.

My mother and father were no different than many other young couples of that time.They married young, then shortly after were separated from one another.

You see, my Dad was in the navy. Shortly after their marriage, Dad left to return to his ship to finish the job he was sworn to do...to defend this great country of ours! He was gone a long, long time.

Back home, my mother discovered that I was on the way! As happens in time of war to many young brides, my mother was left to face the birth of her first born without her husband there for support.

Luckily, she had plenty of support from Dad's family and there was no shortage of baby sitters after I was born. I had a lot of attention. I had a lot of love. The one thing I did not have was my Dad. After all, the war was still going on!

My Dad missed my first haircut, my first steps, my first words. Mom showed me his picture every day and told me who he was. She told me yesterday that I wore out one picture looking at it so much.

Then one day, the war was over! My Dad was able to come home! I was 18 months old, and my Dad and I had never seen each other. Mom, with me in tow, went to California to meet his ship, along with thousands of other war brides. You can only imagine the crowds and the chaos, as so many husbands and wives tried searching for familiar faces in the massive sea of humanity!

Suddenly, there he was! Dad spotted Mom and I in the crowd somehow, and began to approach us with a large smile on his face. As Mom spotted him and pointed him out to me, I'm told that I reached out my arms and, though I had only seen him in pictures, said "Daddy!"

Over the years, Dad and I were not always close. I was young and stupid, and couldn't see how my Dad could know what was good for me. Luckily, that changed a lot as I got older. We finally got to the point where we actually talked about things. Great day!

The first time I shook my Dad's hand was when he drove me to the bus leaving for basic training. I asked my Dad to stand as my best man the first time I got married. I named my first born son after my Dad. He was a good man!

I would sure like to sit with him for a bit and share a cup of coffee,as he was a big coffee drinker as well! I'd like to ask him to share his thoughts on all that's going on today! I'm pretty sure that I know what most of his answers would be. After all, I am his son.

One thing I know without a doubt! If he were here, he would join us in reaffirming his Oath, he would be a Prepper in the truest sense of the word. In other words, my Dad would still be a patriot! As long as I knew him, he was true to his family, true to his friends, and true to his Country! My Father was a good man, a good friend to me, and a good American!

I miss him...a lot!

Now, let's get another cup of coffee, my friend! We can sit on the patio and toast to my Dad...God Bless Him!

25 comments:

  1. Awwwww... I wish I could have met him. I often wonder what he would think of me today. Would he be proud of the adult I grew into? Would he love me the way I would like to imagine? Surely he wouldn't be like that other grandfather, who once spanked me for wanting a hug.

    Hugs,
    Ashley

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  2. Hey Ashley...well, he was a very loving man, but was old school about things.

    He was NOT like your other grandfather!

    Thanks for coming by!

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  3. Hi Jim;
    Seems we were on the same wave lenght.I guess great minds think alike.I miss my dad a lot to.
    The men and women that fought in the second world war will always be my heros.
    Gonna take a couple of pots this morning.

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  4. Aw geez Jim, yah made me cry this morning!! And it's only 7 am.
    Here's to YOUR Dad!
    I betcha he's smiling!
    Hugs to yah
    Cath

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  5. Hey Tony...I think that we could do a lot worse as far as our choice of heroes, don't you?

    I certainly appreciat you dropping by this morning!


    Hey Cath...thank you for sharing a toast to Dad with me! It means a lot, it really does!

    Thanks for coming by as well!

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  6. Good morning Special Friend,
    Here is a toast to your Father, from me as well. I know I am loosing my battle to keep my forever with me.
    JoJO

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  7. Jim, I am lucky to still have my Dad around and I understand how it might feel to no longer have yours around. I had a similar relationship with my father growing up and it only got better as the years went by. We now have a Best of Friends type relationship and I do not know what I would do if I could not turn to him from time to time for advice. This was a Great post for sure. May God Bless your Father, You and your family.

    Mark

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  8. Toasting your father as well HJ...a whole generation gone (nearly) with so much to share. Makes me miss my Pa!

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  9. Hey JoJo, my special Friend...
    even though my Dad has been gone a long time, there are just some times that I really miss having him to talk to, ya know?

    Just being sort of moody lately, for some reason. I'm glad our Dad is here with you for now though.

    Thanks so much for coming by this morning!


    Hey Mark...
    I like to think that sometimes I can still hear my Dad's voice giving me some direction. Lord only knows, at times I can use it!

    Thanks for the kind words this morning and thank you as well for coming by!


    Hey Momma...
    I guess that missing our folks when they are gone is just natural. I only wish that I had the opportunity to once more tell my father that I loved him.

    Thank you for joining me in dad's toast this morning!

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  10. Oh, Bubba, you bring on the tears! Makes me remeber good things, and realize I need to spend more time with our Mama while we still have her! Maybe see you next weekend, huh?
    Love you lots!

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  11. Hey Sis...
    Nice how nature let's us keep the good memories longer than the bad, isn't it?

    It would be good if we could get together at Mom's more often than we do...and enjoy it wilol we can.

    Love ya, Sis!

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  12. Here is a toast to the Fathers we all miss so such, and would love to share a cup of coffee with. To my father and yours. Cheers, and may we be men like they were.

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  13. Hey Ren...
    I'll certainly toast to that! Our Dad's influence on us is far greater than they could ever have imagined, I'm sure!

    I appreciate the visit today, my friend!

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  14. Excellent post Jim.
    I was lucky enough to also be raised with one of my grandfathers and my father and I have always had a good relationship.
    Thanks for the good memories my friend.

    Rod

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  15. Hey Rod...
    That's great, my friend! Alwys nice to have a good relationship to build on, I'm thinking.

    Grandfathers are a good thing as well!

    Hey, thanks for coming by!

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  16. I'll toast to your dad Jim, sounds like he was a hell of a good man.

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  17. Hey FCH...
    I think he was pretty special and I appreciate you joining me in a toast to him!

    I appreciate it!

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  18. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sí.

    You made me cry. I miss my dad as well. I was the only girl with three brothers, so I got that special places. My father was in the Navy as well, but wasn't in WWII. He was at Bay of Pigs. He has been gone 2 years now, and I still have the urge to call him and tattle on my aunts and uncles or even my brothers at times.

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  19. Hey Phelan...
    I'll just bet that your Dad had avery special spot in his heart for you, being the only girl!

    Sometimes, the feeling that our Dad or Mom is still there is very strong...and that leads me to think that in a way, they are!

    Thanks so much, Phelan, for dropping by today!

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  20. That is just beautiful Jim ... With the help of some good documentaries Ive seen recently and your brilliant style of writing I could almost visualise parts of your story.

    Cheers to both your parents for giving us someone like you to share with.

    xox-Missi-xox

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  21. Hey Missi, my Aussie friend...
    Good to see you again! I always appreciate your visits, and I want to thank you for the kind words today!
    Take care, Lady!

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  22. If I didn't know better, I would swear that you were describing my Mom and my oldest brother during the time Daddy was also in the Navy. Mom reminisced about that time in their lives often, especially during her last year. Thanks for sharing such a lovely story. I miss my Daddy, too.

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  23. Hey Ginger...
    How are things in West Texas? Starting to get a bit warm there yet?

    There were probably a lot of stories like that during those times. Glad they were fondly remembered by your Mom...

    Thanks for coming by, my friend!

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  24. Hi Jim,

    What a heartwarming story and tribute to your dad. Thanks for sharing with us.
    lydia
    :)

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  25. Hey Lydia...Thank you for the visit this morning!

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