In Honor of My Dad

My father, John Ward Strong - "Jack", 1944

Dad (left) and his older brother, Fritz, 1917

Fritz, John, Peggy, and with their mother, Marjorie Ward Strong

John, Jr., Jack, and Molly, 1954

 Gratitude For the Gifts of My Father

Today is Father's Day. I am especially conscious of the deep blessings I received from my dad. Of course, these gifts live within me each day for they are part of my essence. 

Dad graduated from Princeton University and then went to work in Detroit at Parke Davis as a chemist, where he was employed for 36 years. He married my mom when he was nearly 34 years old and my mother was just 23. They were a handsome couple. Two years later John and I were born. Dad loved to garden. He loved to swim and sail and snorkel. I can still see the red tip of my father's snorkel way down the shoreline of Orchard Lake as he drifted along in the peaceful waters of the Michigan lake he had known since childhood. My dad also had a great sense of humor. And he was warm and kind, deeply kind. Everyone loved Jack.

My father died suddenly in 1975. He and my mother had vacationed in Banff, Alberta, Canada, where he was bit by a tic that gave him Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Less than two months later he was dead. My dad was 60.

There is more to say than what words can ever express about my father. However, there is just one thing that my heart is called to share in this moment  and that is that my dad taught me kindness. In the midst of much chaos and suffering, rage and blame that often characterized the home of my childhood, my father was a silent but steady figure. Never did I hear my dad say anything judgmental, blaming, shaming, unkind about another human being. His was a strong and gentle heart.

Which saved me.

Thank you, Dad. You live on forevermore in my heart.

May we all be mindful and cherish those who helped us to learn and remember love. 

Molly

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

Sunset over Orchard Lake, Michigan