A few days ago I was cleaning out one of the file cabinets in my craft room. I decided it was safe to get rid of tax returns and teaching contracts from eighteen years ago, along with warranties and instruction books from appliances I no longer own. I did a lot of sorting, reading, and shredding. At the bottom of the drawer under all that clutter, I discovered this photo. It's my dad!
He was so incredibly young! He joined the army to serve in World War II when he was only 17 years old. In fact he wasn't legally old enough to join yet, so he lied about his age. Anyone that knew my dad can tell you that he was an incredibly honest man, so he must have learned his lesson after that. Dad was in the infantry and fought in the Philippines. After World War II ended, he also spent time in Korea.
As I looked at this picture, I was kind of amazed by how much you can miss someone who has been gone for such a long time. We lost him in 1986. I found myself getting emotional as I shared the photo with my sister. He was a wonderful loving father, and I am so grateful to have had him for the time that I did. He is with us still, and I think about him often. He has been a profound influence upon my life, and he helped me to be who I am today. I love you, Dad!
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