Once again, Christine, a beautifully written piece. As the oldest, I had a firsthand view of what our Dad's life and I can confirm that we would make the long drive to the convenience store to often see hateful graffiti sprayed on the face of our store and the metal lockbox where newspapers were stored and broken glass and feces all over the sidewalk.
Not once, but twice, drunk drivers plowed through the front of our store. The repair would take days leaving the front of the store exposed to looters, so Dad and I spent many nights sleeping on the floor in one of the aisles to protect the inventory. Didn't get a lot of sleep on those nights...
Like you, the path of my life has been an exercise in charting out a different path, one that honored the focus and sacrifice that I respected in our Dad, but also one that honored the fact that personal joy is important since we only get one trip in this life. Dad always said that our job was to make sure that the next generation had it better than we did, and I'm proud to say that for all his grandchildren, this is absolutely true. Each of us has worked hard to figure out what is important and let our children know that they are unconditionally loved and supported.
While his life was short and did not have much personal joy, I do believe that he got much satisfaction out of seeing his children grow up educated and all working hard to find their way in the world, even if it's not the path that he had planned for us. He loved being there for his family, and I do believe he took great pride in how close we all were...and still are.
It's been 18 years since he passed, but I do believe that he is with us always and is extremely proud.
Thank you for remembering him and honoring him in this way. We are all better because he was our Dad...
Once again, Christine, a beautifully written piece. As the oldest, I had a firsthand view of what our Dad's life and I can confirm that we would make the long drive to the convenience store to often see hateful graffiti sprayed on the face of our store and the metal lockbox where newspapers were stored and broken glass and feces all over the sidewalk.
Not once, but twice, drunk drivers plowed through the front of our store. The repair would take days leaving the front of the store exposed to looters, so Dad and I spent many nights sleeping on the floor in one of the aisles to protect the inventory. Didn't get a lot of sleep on those nights...
Like you, the path of my life has been an exercise in charting out a different path, one that honored the focus and sacrifice that I respected in our Dad, but also one that honored the fact that personal joy is important since we only get one trip in this life. Dad always said that our job was to make sure that the next generation had it better than we did, and I'm proud to say that for all his grandchildren, this is absolutely true. Each of us has worked hard to figure out what is important and let our children know that they are unconditionally loved and supported.
While his life was short and did not have much personal joy, I do believe that he got much satisfaction out of seeing his children grow up educated and all working hard to find their way in the world, even if it's not the path that he had planned for us. He loved being there for his family, and I do believe he took great pride in how close we all were...and still are.
It's been 18 years since he passed, but I do believe that he is with us always and is extremely proud.
Thank you for remembering him and honoring him in this way. We are all better because he was our Dad...
This is such an interesting story. Thank you.
Reflection is such an essential part of your life. Thank you for sharing your experiences so generously!