Today our pastor recognized ordinary people who credit God for their strength, courage, and perseverance to do extraordinary things. We often refer to people who positively influence our world as heroes. Pastor Troy identified his dad, married for more than 55+ years, and the primary caretaker of Troy's mom who has advanced Alzheimer's, as a personal hero. Heroes are not perfect, in fact when we place them on a pedestal, sometimes their mistakes are even magnified. Regardless we all have the potential to be a hero in our community, school, or home with our ordinary skills making an extraordinary difference.
On May 31, 1995 my family hosted a retirement party for my dad from Delta Airlines. In honor of his retirement, rather than buying a gift I wrote a poem. Sixteen years later, on Father's Day, I still did not buy him a gift thus I will republish the poem, with a few minor edits, to preserve it for the future generations that call him Poppy. Fortunately for me, my dad is a frugal guy. He will be glad I saved the money!
On May 31, 1995 my family hosted a retirement party for my dad from Delta Airlines. In honor of his retirement, rather than buying a gift I wrote a poem. Sixteen years later, on Father's Day, I still did not buy him a gift thus I will republish the poem, with a few minor edits, to preserve it for the future generations that call him Poppy. Fortunately for me, my dad is a frugal guy. He will be glad I saved the money!
Owed/Ode to Dad
The history of flight is one full of firsts,
A miracle at Kitty Hawk gave the Wright Brothers air birth,
Together all told, one hundred twenty feet paved the way,
For the sights we behold at 34,000 feet today.
There are many whose courage the history books hail,
Amelia Earhart's achievements make others seem pale.
Lindbergh forges ahead in the Spirit of St. Louis,
Bringing nations together with goodwill as his purpose.
An assault on the sound barrier by a man with a mission,
Endears Chuck Yeager with eternal fame and recognition.
Those names are all heroes to worshippers of flight,
But there's one more name that belongs in the limelight.
Captain Doyle Braswell deserves his own book,
For his commitment to flight, sharp skills, and good looks.
From naval surveillance over the cold Bering Strait,
To ocean cruises crossing the Pacific's immense gate.
For eight years his country he loyally served,
And for thirty years more he flew Delta's big birds.
But there's more to this captain than his skills flying jets,
He's a counselor, a farmer, a doctor and vet.
There's wisdom and kindness of a depth untold.
Compassion and generosity consumes his soul.
He's instilled in his children a desire to do right,
To aim for the stars, like an eagle, take flight.
We praise him, we love him, we can't thank him enough,
For making our life flight so smooth, rarely rough.
For picking us up and healing our scrapes
For changing our oil and repairing car brakes.
Congratulations Dad...our hero, our cowboy, our movie star in the sky,
You're a Lindbergh, a Yeager, a John Wayne in one guy.
Continue to travel Rome, Prague, France and Bombay
What a wonderful thought, your work is now play!
The history of flight is one full of firsts,
A miracle at Kitty Hawk gave the Wright Brothers air birth,
Together all told, one hundred twenty feet paved the way,
For the sights we behold at 34,000 feet today.
There are many whose courage the history books hail,
Amelia Earhart's achievements make others seem pale.
Lindbergh forges ahead in the Spirit of St. Louis,
Bringing nations together with goodwill as his purpose.
An assault on the sound barrier by a man with a mission,
Endears Chuck Yeager with eternal fame and recognition.
Those names are all heroes to worshippers of flight,
But there's one more name that belongs in the limelight.
Captain Doyle Braswell deserves his own book,
For his commitment to flight, sharp skills, and good looks.
From naval surveillance over the cold Bering Strait,
To ocean cruises crossing the Pacific's immense gate.
For eight years his country he loyally served,
And for thirty years more he flew Delta's big birds.
But there's more to this captain than his skills flying jets,
He's a counselor, a farmer, a doctor and vet.
There's wisdom and kindness of a depth untold.
Compassion and generosity consumes his soul.
He's instilled in his children a desire to do right,
To aim for the stars, like an eagle, take flight.
We praise him, we love him, we can't thank him enough,
For making our life flight so smooth, rarely rough.
For picking us up and healing our scrapes
For changing our oil and repairing car brakes.
Congratulations Dad...our hero, our cowboy, our movie star in the sky,
You're a Lindbergh, a Yeager, a John Wayne in one guy.
Continue to travel Rome, Prague, France and Bombay
What a wonderful thought, your work is now play!
In retrospect, 16 years later, he has not traveled the world, but Dad thrives on the work of tending to his avocado farm. Later this month the avocados should be ready for picking--healthy and full of antioxidants I love to share them with my clients! Dad may visit during the Osh Kosh fly-in this July. I am currently recruiting volunteers to fly with him on a WWII B-17 Bomber. Not my cup of tea, as he describes it as a rough, smoky, loud flight, but perhaps a thrill for you! The kids declined when they heard cookies were not served.
To all you Dads (AKA Heroes), especially Ron, the amazing father of my children...Happy Father's Day....thank you for all you do!
To all you Dads (AKA Heroes), especially Ron, the amazing father of my children...Happy Father's Day....thank you for all you do!
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