ABC Wednesday - R

This week at ABC Wednesday, R is the letter of the week.

R is of course for Remembrance Day - what will be celebrated in Canada tomorrow, at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

R is also for ribbon - as can be seen on the medal my father received  at the end of WWII.
The colours of dark blue, red and light blue represent the navy, army and air force.
 The medal is the 1939-1945 Star, for six months of service on active operations for Army and Navy and two months for active air-crew.

My father enlisted into the navy and served on warships out of Halifax.

I will be in attendance at the Remembrance Day service tomorrow at our local cenotaph, not only to remember and honour him, but all the others who gave their lives for peace.


For those who haven't seen it, Terry Kelly's song "A Pittance of Time" is a remarkable testament to the men and women who served and why we must always honour them
.


Be sure to visit here to see how others remembered "R"

SOL # 18 - March 18th

Today is day 18 of the Slice of Life March, the writing challenge sponsored and run by Stacey and Ruth of "Two Writing Teachers".

Today is March 18th  and my Dad's birthday. If  he had still been alive he would have been 90 today!  Yet he has been gone for 41 years.

My Dad was born in Scotland but grew up in Winnipeg. He ended up joining the navy at 17 because he wanted to see the world. He got as far as Halifax and was on several destroyers there. The only story I heard him talk about was the time a German sub surrendered. He had a large photo of the surrender document as well as photos of his ships.

He married during the war - to my older brother's mother. She would die of Hodgekin's  disease when my brother was 2.

 My dad obtained his degree in business with honours through the veterans department and then went on to a long career with the bank.

When my brother was 5, he married my Mom and I was born a year later. Two more sons and another daughter were born in the years to follow.

We moved from Winnipeg, to Montreal and then to Toronto.
 My Dad moved up the ladder in the bank , became a manger and then head of a division. He was well respected even though he could not tolerate fools. He was never a yes-man.

At the age of 49 he died, from an accident. At his funeral, I remember the custodian at his branch saying that he would greatly miss Dad - that he always inquired after his family members by name.

It was from my Dad that I got my love of books and my math ability. I also got his build and hair!
He was an extrovert,  a man who could talk with anyone about anything.

My Dad never got to see me graduate from university, marry or see my children.  It was my Mom who walked me down the aisle for my first wedding and my sons when I married the second time.

I think about him a lot, especially on these special days.

 Happy birthday Dad!

Slice of Life Tuesday

Sunday was Father's Day, a day to celebrate our Dads. On this Father's Day, I realized that my Dad has been gone for 40 years. He died too young - at age 49.

As I thought back, I realized I have much to owe  my father. It is from him that I get my build, my thick hair, my love of reading, my math ability.
It was at his funeral that I heard what made him a role model for many people: The custodian at the bank said that my father always had a good word for everyone and treated everyone the same - whether he was a president or a custodian. He was most definitely not a "yes" man. If a person was an idiot, he told him so!

My mother became a widow at 43 - and raised 5 children on her own, never remarrying.
I always wonder where we would be today if my father had lived.  I know I wish my children would have known their grandfather.
Patty Digh wrote about her Dad this Father's Day and quoted a poem. Read it here.
It so made me remember our special summer vacations at Ocean Park, Maine. So many memories, so many to treasure always.
Happy Father's Day Dad! Love you always!

(I can't believe my Mom still had this - from when I was 10 or 11! It was in the box of photos I took home after my Mom died.)

Linking up with Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers.