Father’s Day – Linda Ford

Happy Father’s Day

Linda — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000

A picture of my dad when he married my mother.
My dad has been gone for 15 years yet I often think of things he said and did. I often repeat what he said about me being so short. ‘As long as you’re tall enough to reach your teeth to brush them.’ Or ‘Small things come in small packages.’ He would wait a minute and then add, ‘Then so does dynamite and poison.’ Of course, he always said it with a smile.
Some of my favorite memories are studying the stars with him. It seemed he knew the names of all the constellations. Exploring for fossils. Camping by the Red Deer River and crossing the ferry with him. Riding in the grader with him as he repaired roads. Visiting museums on our travels, and the stories he told about the past. He’d come to Alberta as a young boy and settled in one of the driest parts of the province. He often said there were two good years of farming there–1916 and next year. And who can forget the long, dusty drive to Hay River in the Northwest Territories. I believe it was the last long trip I took with my parents. That fall as I returned to school, I wrote the traditional ‘What did you do in the summer?’ essay. I remember I got top marks for the descriptive way I told of our trip. Looking back, I think that was the first time I thought of being a writer.
A special memory is the series of sermons my father did teaching how every detail of the Old Testament tabernacle portrayed a truth about our faith.
Such wonderful memories. I hope all of you have sweet memories of times spent with your father. If you are still able, make some more memories today.

FATHER’S DAY

Linda — Sun, 19 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

My father was a gracious man. He never left the table without thanking the cook for the meal. Early in life he made a conscious decision to never complain. When he passed away after a few years in a care facility the staff said the appreciated his positive attitude and said he never complained.

My father lived through hard times. The death of his first wife left him with four young children to raise. He took pride in the fact he lived through the Dirty Thirties and was able to support his family while many others had to turn to the government for assistance.

Dad as a young father:

He taught me many things. How to drive, how to identify birds, the enjoyment of history, and how to handle a firearm. He taught me a love for the Bible.

One of my fondest memories is the years we spent living ‘on the road’ with him and Mom as he working and camped far from town in order to build and maintain roads. We lived in a primitive bunkhouse. I don’t know how my mother coped but as children we saw it as a giant adventure.

A typical bunkhouse such as we stayed in:

I say much of this every Father’s Day in honor of my father. I will likely, without apology, continue to say it on a yearly basis.

My dad has been gone for a few years now but the lessons he taught and—more importantly, lived—endure.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Linda — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I have been blessed to have had a wonderful father. This is a picture of him holding my brother.

What makes him so special?

#1. He was fair. Yes, we got punished but we knew we deserved it.

#2. He made time for his family whether it was making work a family affair, taking us for car rides or on picnics.

#3. He taught me about nature. We went fossil hunting, observed wild animals and studied the stars.

#4. He loved history and taught me to do so as well. Visiting museums was part of those lessons.

#5. He did not hold a grudge and, in my opinion, had plenty of reason to do so. Others didn’t always treat him fairly even those in his own family. But I don’t recall him ever expressing bitterness about it.

#6. He was always polite and expressed his gratitude. He never rose from a meal without thanking his hostess—whether my mother, myself or someone else—for the lovely meal.

#7. He was a patient man. He must have been to put up with my siblings. LOL.

#8. He loved to travel though his journeys never took him far from home.Mostly he took us to visit relatives, but we took time to enjoy the landmarks and scenery.

#9. He taught us to respect others and treat them fairly.

#10. He loved God, his Bible and church and was faithful in living his beliefs in his life.

LIFE LESSONS FROM MY DAD

Linda — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

My dad was a gentle, quiet man but when he spoke, we listened. It was a good thing I did (I can’t speak for my siblings) because I learned a lot.

Here is my dad with my older brother.

1. Dad taught me to drive. One of the vehicles I practiced in was an old-fashioned VW beetle complete with absence of inside heater. Brr. He often said, look about and think what you would do if something happened such as someone crossing the middle line and heading for you.

LIFE LESSON: Be prepared for unexpected events in life and be ready to adjust your course.

And don’t let pride get in your way.

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2. Dad loved finding a good gravel pit. It was part of his job but it also offered the possibility of finding fossils. We soon learned what to look for and shared the excitement of finding something.

A sample of discovered fossils.

LIFE LESSON: Things are not always as they appear on the surface. Look beyond the surface, the first impression, to discover the gem within.

3. ‘Don’t make me get the razor strap.’ We didn’t hear it often but the words were enough to make me stop misbehaving.

LIFE LESSON: Keep ignoring rules or directives or instructions and there will usually be unsavory consequences. So change the oil in your vehicle when it needs it. Take the antibiotic until it’s gone. You know the sort of stuff I mean.

4. My dad did very detailed lessons on the Old Testament Tabernacle. He showed us what each little aspect represented and believe me, it did. My mother drew lovely charts of everything from the candelabra to the covering curtain. (I couldn’t find any pictures that weren’t copyrighted. But if you want to see some go here.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/mykxvqs)

LIFE LESSON: Dig deep for hidden meanings that are like nuggets of gold. See beyond the surface. Have you looked at the details of the flowers in your garden? Noted the variety of clouds in the sky? Explored the history of your area? You might be pleasantly surprised by what you discover. You might even be challenged and encouraged.

5. Dad taught me about God and the value of faith in the Almighty.

LIFE LESSON: Me earthly father was a good man, and a great father. God is my heavenly father and he is even greater.

What life lessons did your father give you? I’d love to hear.

FATHER’S DAY TRIBUTE

Linda — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

My father has been gone a number of years but I want to remember him on this father’s day. He was a special man in so many ways.

He worked hard. His own father homesteaded in Alberta and he grew up facing challenges. He continued to face them with strength and dignity when he became sole parent to six children before he married my mother.

He never complained. In fact, he made it a personal ambition to never do so. After every meal, he graciously thanked my mother and did the same when he was a guest. In his later years he had to live in a long-term care facility and was adored for his cheerful attitude. One nurse told me of overhearing him kneeling at the side of his bed at night and saying his prayers. “Help me not to complain even though I don’t like living here.” I’ve always thought his attitude was one the whole world should copy.

My father loved his pets. He once had a part-Siamese cat who suffered from a case of bad attitude but my father loved that cat and bragged about how he guarded the house. He called him his watch cat. When he was in the nursing home I saw how other residents loved stuffed animals and bought him a little stuffed dog that went everywhere with him. If the visiting grandkids got a little too rambunctious with it he would ask them not to tease his dog.

Not that he was above teasing. I am the smallest in the family and he used to say so long as I was tall enough to brush my teeth I was okay. Or he’d say good things come in small packages and then with a sly smile add, but then so does poison and dynamite.

He loved to study the Bible and did a detailed study of the Tabernacle that my mother illustrated for him. A priceless keepsake.

My father taught me how to drive, how to shoot a gun, how to find fossils in a grave bed. I remember being carried outside in the middle of the night when I was about six years old to see a lunar eclipse. He taught me the constellations. (I wish I could remember them.)

My father was a great man and I honor him on this special day.