In Loving Memory of Dad on Father's Day
Posted: Monday, June 05, 2006
by Imagination
Designs by Debbie
October 23, 1911, was a very special day, not just because it was the day of Dad’s birth, but because it was the day that started the destiny of his children.
His ability to appear tough and hard-shelled was due to such a hard and troubled childhood. At a very early age Dad not only became a Barnardo Boy Orphan, but was shipped off from his home-land of England, to a land that was strange and foreign to him. Although this was not the end of his hard-ships, the meeting of our Mother was the start of the hard-shell exterior slowly, but never completely, vanishing.
His love for each of us was very obvious with the stories that he would tell to anyone that would listen, about something that we had done, like the time his daughter made him chase her all over the Riverdale Zoo.
As children and teenagers we, like most children, believed that he was extremely strict and unfair. Now that we have children of our own, we can see that it was wrong to think of him in this way. All he was doing was trying to protect us from the many evils that lurked in dark corners and we love him even more now for that protection.
With the birth of each of his grandchildren that love and pride was very apparent, and by the time his first great-granddaughter was born, just being a great grandfather meant something very special to him. Each of his grandchildren has very special memories that they will always have of the Grandpa, from riding the lawn-mower together to just sitting quietly on his knee reading story-books.
The twinkle in his beautiful blue eyes as he called each of his children the special nick-name of ‘snicklefritz’ was playfully carried down to each of his grandchildren. The twinkle has a special meaning to us because it showed his love without having to say the words. We have continued this tradition in turn by calling each of our own children and grandchildren ‘Snicklefritz’.
There is always a special bond between Father and Child, but the bond between Dad and his name-sake Grandson James was particularly exceptional. It was very evident that they both felt that bond. When James was three, his family had to move. Because of the distance, Dad gave him a teddy bear and James very quickly named it Grandpa Bear. Grandpa bear was James constant reminder of his Grandpa’s love for him. Seven years later, Grandpa Bear traveled from British Columbia to comfort James’s Grandpa in the hospital because James could not be there himself.
Many people though Dad to be a very difficult individual to get to know, but those that took the time found that he had a heart of gold. Deep down inside that gruff exterior there was nothing more than a pussycat waiting to snuggle close to their hearts. In an instant, Dad would have sacrificed himself for any one of us, and on numerous occasions did.
Losing Dad has been a very painful time for each of us and our hearts are filled with the sadness of his passing. It is also filled with the joy of knowing that he is no longer suffering the pain of being ill and he has gone to such a beautiful and peaceful place where he will always be able to watch over all those that were special to him. Although the man that we called Dad for all of our lives is gone in body, he lives on through each of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Each of us has a very special part of Dad within us, whether it is his temperament, his personality, a certain mannerism or the same twinkle in the eye, we will see and feel his presence always.
We know Dad will have peace and happiness throughout Eternity, and know that he will always be with us in our hearts. The memory that will remain with us always is his extraordinary heart of gold.
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Debbie Long is a writer/illustrator and founding member of 'The Muse Program', a literacy program for children. Debbie has spent many years writing curriculum for The Muse Program based on the Board of Educations curriculum units. She has the first two books in the Imagination Series published, 'Short Stories with Imagination’ and ‘
For more details visit www.designsbydebbie.ca. You may contact Debbie at debbie@designsbydebbie.ca
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