One More Dad Deploys...

Children, grandchildren, a wife, family, friends...all will be left behind for a season for the sake of country.

Thank you G&K and all your family for your sacrifice. We love you. You will be in our prayers.

Declarations from Dad

It’s Alphabe-Thursday and today we’re talkin’ about the Delightful letter D? And....

‘Dis Daughter Decided to Draw from Discussions with a Dear Departed Dad

Today would have been my Dad’s 94^th birthday. He passed away in 1998, so I won’t have the pleasure of celebrating it with him as I might were he here. Nonetheless, it’s a prefect opportunity to share some thoughts about this wonderful man whose influence I feel in my life Daily. So, here are some “Declarations” from Dad.

Don’t Doubt, Denigrate or Deny the Divine, a.k.a. Devotions Define Decorations... My Dad wasn’t a religious person, at least not in the strict sense of the word. However, he had his beliefs that ran deep and he was true to them.  It being the holiday season, decorations always come to mind for me. As a child growing up in a Jewish family, I often felt slighted because my non-Jewish friends (oh, did I mention? That would be ALL my friends!!) had beautifully decorated homes with lights and Christmas trees and such. When my brothers and I asked why we couldn’t do the same, we were told in no uncertain terms that it made no sense for us to have Christmas decorations since we didn’t celebrate Christmas.  Not even a Hanukkah bush was allowed.

When I moved out and became an independent adult, I went hog wild on Christmas decorations of every kind…but the fascination didn’t last long. Now, having come full circle and having converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if I do decorate, I pretty much limit it to showing my devotion to the one whose birth we actually do celebrate.

Do things that make a Difference. My Dad didn’t often say “leave this world a better place than you found it.” He didn’t have to; the way he lived his life and expected us to do the same shouted this unspoken Declaration loud and clear.

Some other Declarations from Dad that need no explanation:

Dare to Dream

Don’t Deceive

Drink of life 'cuz it's simply Delicious

Don’t Doubt yourself or your Decisions

Don't Dilly Dally Because Desire along with Doing Drives Destiny and there is a Declining # of Days left in this life...

…and many other things… Happy 94th, Dad. Love and miss you! 

Hop on over to Mrs. Jenny’s place to see what other folks are Doing with that Dastardly D…

The Reason for the Season…

It’s Christmas Day, all snowy and bright. As I sat staring out the window at the wide landscape swathed in white and thinking about the image I would create for this day, my thoughts turned to Mary – a strong, faithful, courageous, young, beautiful woman, a mother. There wouldn’t be a Christmas to celebrate without her, but with each passing year it seems to me as if that very idea might slip sadly into obscurity.

I haven’t put up holiday decorations in my house for years…partly because it seems I’ve always been on the go and partly because I bristle at the commercial aspects of Christmas. And yet I love the season. I find the greatest joy in remembering the many ways in which my life has been blessed, the good friends I have had, the comforts I’ve known, and the great kindnesses that have been shown to me. My favorite Christmases have had little to do with me and everything to do with others for whom I could do something nice.

This Mary, who seems deep in thought or prayer, was a favorite possession of my sweet dad. He found her somewhere in Tuscany while serving part of his tour of duty during WWII in Italy. I don’t know the exact circumstances of how she became his, but I do know that she is about 400 years old and he loved her. When he passed away, she became mine. And, so, this Christmas I think of him and pay homage to her.