Sunday, June 19, 2011

Father's Day

It's Father's Day today.

And we don't have fathers anymore. But Rob is a father to our four wonderful children, so we carry on the tradition.

It's actually a wonderful day to take the time to remember and honor our dad's. To think about all they have been to us, and appreciate their dedication to the family.

My children are so blessed to have grown up surrounded by men of honor and integrity. Something missing frequently in our present day world of compromise. They have seen in action what it means to be a dad, a good dad. Someone who is loyal and kind, honest and firm, godly and compassionate. They have seen three men who have had to make hard decisions, difficult choices, and keep their commitments to their families, their work and to their Lord. My boys have good role models.

My sisters and I grew up with a Dad that was the head of the family, and loved his "girls", which included my mom, unconditionally. He was so talented, a B-17 pilot, and captian in WWII, flying 35 missions in Europe and bringing his crew and formation back safely every time.....although many of the plane limped back to England. He had a jazz band from high school, where he met my mom at a high school dance where he was performing. He married when he returned from the war, became a flight instructor, then back to New York to get a position in the bank. He went to night school on the GI bill at Columbia. And when I was in high school he was still going to school, getting his Masters from Brown. He was a hard worker, working three jobs to provide for his family. He eventually became the president of the bank and on the board of directors. A plaque of honor sits on Ethan's desk now, commending my dad for his service to the bank, and the community. He was known for his honesty and integrity in the business world. He had many positions in the church and audited the CMA's books each year for quite a while. And he always planted a big vegetable garden. If anyone needed any help, he was there and could be counted on.

But one of my favorite rememberances of him was his dedication to my mom. She had Alzheimers for about 10 years before she died. It was difficult. At first he tried to commensate for her. But eventually, my sister, the non medical person said, "we've got to take mom to the doctor, there's really something wrong with her". It was difficult and not easy to care for her. She was not herself anymore, she was angry and beligerant at times, frightened at other times. She would run away and get lost. He took over the cooking, something he never did before. He did the washing, the house cleaning and the shopping. And the getting her dressed, which was actually funny sometimes. One Sunday she came out all dressed and I looked at her and said....Dad, I think you put her dress on backwards! So off they went to the bedroom to turn it around.

But every day he would tell her how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. He would not leave her, because, at the end, he was the only one she sort of recognized. That's honor and integrity. It's not the way they hoped they would end up but he was loving and kind to the very end.

I appreciate my Dad for the way he lived his life. I can be proud of him, not only for his achievements but for his loyalty to his family and his love for his wife. I think I can hear the Lord say to him...."Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Thanks, Dad. You showed us the way.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Three Celebrations


Our Birthday group celebrated three different occassions today...

I usually have a birthday party for my friend, Ann, sometimes at camp, sometimes at 42, but today we celebrated at Litengard. She loved my chickens and went home with 9 hard boiled eggs. I tried to make deviled eggs, hard boiled them but when I tried to peel them, they were impossible. I've never made deviled eggs before and I used ultra fresh eggs (just layed right before boiling). I didn't realize that I should have plunged them in ice water after they boiled. The shells were sticking like glue to the whites so they were not coming out so pretty. I did learn a lot of tricks for when I hard boil eggs in the future though, and Ann went home with eggs to make egg salad. She was happy.

My other friend, Anne, is from Canada and has recently become a citizen here. We celebrated with flags, red, white and blue candles, ribbons and we all sang the Star Spangled Banner with Lee Greenwood. She gets to vote now!!

Our other friend, Mayme, is moving to Maine at the end of the month. We're sad to see her go but have enjoyed her friendship for the last couple of years.
It was fun to all get together today. There were 11 out of the 14 who usually get together for our birthdays. We caught up on weddings, new jobs, children's activities, future wedding plans, gardens, books read, and vacations.
We've been doing this for 10 years now. Friendship. Love. Concern. Enjoyment. Fun!