Into the Fire

This adorable couple happens to be my mom and dad who now reside with Jesus in heaven. Once upon a time that man on the left, my earthly father, eloped with that lady on the right, my mom, on his 21st birthday. She was 16! Many wonderful years later, they were still together in this picture taken in Hawaii. 

They endured a rough life during the Depression. My dad had scarlet fever, my mom had small pocks. My dad worked in the shop of his father, a cobbler by trade, who became a single father of several children after the youngest was born, and his mom left the family. Dad sold newspapers on the corners in Butte, Montana, a rough place then where you had to fist fight for your spots on those corners. Dad also sold flowers and worked in the mines before he and his bride moved to Seattle, Washington, and he worked retail. From the box boy in a one-store drug store in downtown Seattle that became a large multi-store chain where he was an executive VP when he retired, he lived the American dream. The son of Italian immigrants, he loved America, even forgot the native language of his family, tried to join the service but was refused because of his bad feet, so he worked at Boeing briefly to help the war effort. 

My dad was an amazing man who loved me unconditionally. He taught me patriotism by example, how to ride a bike, how to be generous, defined having a work ethic, treated all people with respect and kindness, and wanted to provide the best for his family. He was fun-loving, loved God although he didn't become a Christian until his later years (being "born" Roman Catholic), cherished his family, and worked hard.

I love you, Daddy. Happy Birthday and Anniversary! 

Thank you, Father, for giving me the best parents a child could ever hope to have. No words to express the depth of my gratitude. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.