... a time for every purpose under Heaven...
It's been two years since he's been gone...
My dad.. my hero..
... who received the Purple Heart during WWII
while serving with the Timberwolves, 104th Infantry,
and who was buried with military funeral honors.
The most surreal moment of dad's service was when the bugler went a distance away,
out of sight, to play Taps. I don't think I've ever had so many emotions playing out at one
time and I don't think I've ever heard another melody so solemn, so profound, so emotional or so moving...
After the service, a gentle August breeze came through the cemetery and these wind chimes, hanging from a nearby tree, softly serenaded us as we left the graveside service.
I've been enjoying my evening walks now that the heat and humidity has disappeared from the northeast...
... and one of my favorite places to unwind and walk is in the cemetery.
Naturally, my dad is never far from my thoughts on these walks. Since I'm writing a short blog post and not a book, I'll just throw out a few words or phrases that are synonymous with my dad.
Patriotic.
Loyal.
Polish Catholic.
Daily Prayers of Thanks.
Daily Rosary.
Daily Mass.
Great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus.
Compassionate.
Gentle.
Generous.
Kind.
Charitable.
Soft spoken.
Never left home without wearing a scapular (or two)...
... and carrying a pocket full of prayer cards in his shirt.
Devoted to Mom (who we lost in 1996)...
The kindest green eyes (so he could see like a cat at night! he'd tell us)...
... hard worker ... entrepreneur ... self-made ... a simple man of modest means ...
The fastest typist I've ever known (on a manual, no less)...
A trucker, who enjoyed nothing more than getting into his Ford pickup truck with his coupons and hitting all the supermarkets for the best deals.
... a dog lover...
(saying goodbye to his buddy, our Mr. O'Malley, after the vet said no more could be done)
... and an all around animal lover.
A jokester...
... who loved his family more than words can express...
To quote your favorite term of endearment, Dad...
"I love you very dearly."
You are missed every day.
You are my hero.
How I wish I had told you that, and so much more, every day that you were here.
Always and forever,
your Little Girl, your Donna Doo, your Ducky
COMMENT UPDATE: I have been visiting all of you to thank you for your kind, sweet words about my wonderful dad. Many of you do not have blogs so I hope you see this heartfelt thank you for all of the comments you have left. Thank you from the bottom of my heart... Donna
