Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Friday, February 24, 2012

Just a Little Bit of Praise

Many thanks to my good friend, Ginger of  inSERIOUSLYsane for her lovely tribute to her daughter yesterday. 
It reminded me of something special . . .

My Hero
For most of his career, my Husby worked for the Culture department in our province.
He enjoyed it.
Building museums.
Refurbishing older exhibits.
It was a constant adventure.
But he learned, as a civil servant, that gratitude was an accepted part of the job.
Rarely expressed.
Case in point . . .
He and his team had been refitting an interpretive center.
They had been at it for three years.
Their job was finally drawing to a close.
Which allowed the center to open.
Ironic but true.
A grand gala was planned for the opening night.
With speeches by pertinent politicians.
And food.
Myself and our two younger children made the trip and were seated in the audience, happily anticipating hearing from our husby/father.
The evening wore on.
Speeches by many, many people.
None of whom had even stepped foot in the building until that night.
Then, finally, just at the end of the evening, the MC announced my Husby.
The man who had organized and directed the entire operation.
The whole three years.
I was so proud of him.
He had worked hard.
Spending weeks and weeks on a project that took him far from home and family.
And he had done well.
I glanced around.
I was surrounded by evidence of his careful, thoughtful, precise planning and execution.
We were now seated in a world-class center.
With the best and most advanced displays found anywhere.
The crowd had clapped politely as he stepped to the podium.
Many of them had no idea of the part he had played.
But his family did.
My daughter suddenly whispered, "Come on! Let's do it!"
My children and I surged to our feet.
Cheering and clapping wildly.
The rest of the audience stared at us in stunned silence for a moment.
Then the smiles began.
And the applause.
No one else got up, but everyone there knew that this man was special.
Deserving of what little praise we could give him.
He smiled at us, then, in his usual calm fashion said, "I have no idea who those people are."
Then, "And I didn't have to pay them much to do that!"
Much laughter and the tone of the entire evening was changed completely.
Later, one of the people with whom he had worked closely stopped me.
"We were so happy when your family did that," she said. "We would all have joined you, if we weren't already standing at the back!"
We get very little recognition for good deeds done in this life.
Sometimes all it takes is a little courage.

12 comments:

  1. Diane you made it sound like Grant is dead. :D
    Btw this is really sweet lol <3

    -Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely not dead yet, Jess! :) Lots of standing ovations yet in his future!!!

      Delete
  2. I'll bet he treasured that memory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Dolores, he does. He says it was the one time in his life that he got up on a stage and received a standing ovation!

      Delete
  3. Beautiful!! Just beautiful! Glad you wrote the moment down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lynn. I had forgotten it until I read Ginger's blog. Isn't it amazing how one person's story will trigger memories in your own life?

      Delete
  4. Thanks for sharing this Diane! I'm so happy you did that for your husband! It just shows how special he is to have such a loving and supportive family. :)

    Thanks for being such great friend and support to me as well! You are truly one in a million!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a nice thing to say, Ginger! Especially since you gave me the idea!!! :) I'm so happy to be your friend! You are a fantastic support to me as well!

      Delete
  5. It's nice to take pride in a job well done, but it's even nicer to receive some recognition and appreciation for hard work and dedication. I love that your family did that for him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kara! It was a fun moment. One that I treasure. It was so little to do for someone who had done so much!

      Delete
  6. I got teary eyed reading this, what a wonderful thing you and your children did to show your husband how much you think of him. Bravo to hubsy and to you:) Thanks for sharing on the NOBH

    ReplyDelete
  7. This was a beautiful post...such a simple, yet meaningful gesture that was will be remembered forever by your family, your husband and all those around! What a special night on a job well done! Thanks for sharing Diane! I always enjoy going down memory lane with you, as your writing seems to always take me back to your past and relive your memories!

    ReplyDelete

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