Sunday, June 23, 2024
Remembering Dad, by Judy
June 3, 2021
Our dad was a great man. He was a wonderful father, husband, grand and great-grandfather….an all-around family man who valued shared experiences with friends and family. His devotion to his wonderful wife, our mom, Miriam, has been an inspiration to us all. He grew up with family as his central pillar, and he passed that on to us by example. And he had so many close friends with whom he shared adventures and good times.
Over the past six years, dad and I spent many evenings together. He in his recliner, me on the adjacent sofa…talking about our lives, our adventures and escapades, about our family and what everyone was doing. He always asked, “so, what’s going on in the world of geology?” He kept track of what our kids were doing, celebrating their accomplishments large and small…and he did that with all his kids, grandkids and greatgrandkids. And I can’t count how many times Dad said, “I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been….I have a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren, friends, this house….what did I do to deserve all this?” Dad taught by example…humility, gentleness, kindness, thoughtfulness, and underlying integrity of character that permeated his words and his deeds. Not only did he help me grow to love life, my family, myself, and Jewish traditions, but I continued to learn from him as we both aged. My appreciation of him and his lessons-by-example only grew as I got older and expanded my perspectives, as increasing age tends to do.
I will go onward from today as I always have….with my dad and my mom as a fundamental part of my foundation as a person in this world. I know that my dad will always be with me, inside me, encouraging me, holding me, and loving me. His strength has given me strength…and will continue to do so.
