As I sit in my office this morning I am once again greeted with the sound of rain and I remember life on the farm when I would run down to the implement shed just to hear rain hitting the tin roof. I remember as a kid that Aunt Fern was the only person we knew who had an umbrella, so when we visited her on a rainy day it was always fun to go for a walk. And it is then that I reminisce about the simplicity and the wonders of life when I was a kid; when the weights were carried by someone else…
My seven year old grandson Lucas announced last night at dinner that there are only 28 days left before the end of the school year. My daughter Makaila talks about being in College or University after only two more years of school. And Graham, who has been telling everybody that he is 4 and a half since his 4th birthday is content these days catching toads in his pond. As I sat and listened to Lucas, I remembered my bike with its high rise handlebars and banana seat. As I listened to Makaila I remembered the couch that I bought at an auction sale in Ridgetown for my first apartment and as I listened to Graham say that he found ten toads, I remembered being told as a kid that if I touched a toad I would get warts.
As I’m sure every generation before me has done, I worry about what the future holds for my children and my grandchildren. I hope that they stay healthy, that they find happiness and security, that they find someone to love and who loves them back. I hope that when they think of me they will remember a dad and a grandfather whose eyes lit up every time they walked into a room. I hope that when they need someone to count on, that they can count on each other and that if one lives on the west coast and one lives on the east coast that they will always be close at heart.
Maybe it’s the Funeral Director in me that makes me feel the way I do because I am so often reminded of the need to appreciate life…maybe it’s the Dad in me because I want to protect children and maybe it’s the son in me because I was taught to be respectful of others but I not only care about my family…I care about yours.
