Today I remember and celebrate my dad’s life! He turns 84 in
heaven, if they keep track of age or birthdays in the celestial kingdom. I know
it has taken me a long time to see the real picture of Ed Bennett. I recently
attended a funeral of an older friend who I had worked with in a church setting
close to 30 years ago. What struck me at his life celebration is how easy it is
to be around someone and not necessarily know them in a real life context. I
know that could also be true of my dad. He lived a troubled childhood because
of his parent’s divorce which left him on the outside of two families.
It wasn’t until after my mom’s death after a long bout with
cancer that I heard the rest of the story about many of dad’s experiences in
life. I know that all families have their little secrets that can taint the
family name or legacy. I seldom ever remember my dad complaining about
anything. He was always positive and willing to face any obstacle that came
before him. It wasn’t until after my dad had lived around us a few years that a
close friend of his from the Air Force paid us a visit. It was during breakfast
at Coco’s that I heard my dad’s friend share his journey and how my dad had
influenced his life to such an extent that he went from being ready to drop out
of his Air Force career to someone that excelled.
I could see that this wasn’t easy for Bill, my dad’s friend,
to share his life story about being discouraged and ready to quit. My dad at
this juncture of his dementia couldn’t do much of anything but just listen. I’m
the one that benefited from Bill’s choice to come for a visit and share family
history. As Bill unfolded a few of my dad’s sayings, which he had obviously
penned 30 years ago, it struck me how influential my dad had been on many. I
had never heard any of these saying before but Bill spoke these out in a
fashion that it was clear he had lived by them since he met my dad as a young
Lieutenant. My dad was always someone who didn’t allow fear of failure to ever
stop him. He had told Bill that the difficult they do immediately but the
impossible will take a few days to finish.
It wasn’t until after our breakfast time together that Bill
very graciously put together his our thoughts about my dad on paper. I was
brought to tears as I realized what type of man my dad had been in the Air
Force. It was clear that many looked up to him and he wasn’t afraid of the
military machine! As I reflect on my dad’s care taking of my mom over a decade
as she faced the effect of cancer it became even clearer that he practically
understood what it meant to face the impossible. He watched his lady struggle with
life over 10 years of their lives together. He never quit or gave up but was
always ready to face a new day with a smile and an attitude of making life
better regardless of the circumstances.
As I honor my dad for his life, serving his country for 20
years and being my dad from day one I can’t forget the last month I had with
him and how he would always smile regardless of pain or frustration with his
memory loss. He would always tell me that he loved me and appreciated getting
out from his home at Clare Bridge. I had a total surprise when one of my
interns, that had visited my dad often, sent me a picture of her playing bingo
with my dad with the strangest of smiles. He was having a blast and my intern
had someone else snap a picture of her and dad. I have cried often today as I
reflect on my life and how richer it is because of a man who was willing to do
the difficult without complaining and then tackle head on the impossible!
No comments:
Post a Comment