Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

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



Sunday, June 20, 2021

Unexpected Lessons

 

Dads. There's no one quite like them.
An animated series aired several years ago, to great praise and equally great censure.
Because of the negative and very vocal comments, I chose not to watch.
For three years.
One evening, while working in my office, next to the TV room, I caught a few snatches of conversation coming from the program presently airing.
Two older children were asking their father why there were no pictures of their third and last sibling.
"Didn't you want her?" one of them asked.
It caught me because I am guilty of snapping thousands of pics of our eldest. Hundreds of our second, and then, progressively (or is it de-gressively?) less as each child made an appearance.
I made up for it with the last, when we were back into the thousands, but those in the middle . . . lost out.
The premise intrigued me.
I went to check it out.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that what was playing was an episode of 'that cartoon'.
But I was hooked by the subject matter.
I sat with my teenagers to watch.
The father reassured his children that he had, indeed, wanted their baby sister. Then he proceeded to tell the story.
He had left a terrible job in a nuclear plant and had been working at his dream job in a bowling alley. His work was appreciated and made him, for the first time in his life, happy.
Then his wife announced that baby number three was on the way.
He knew that what he earned at his dream job couldn't possibly support another child.
He would have to go and beg for his old job back.
Have I mentioned that it was horrible?
That he hated it?
Well, it was.
And he did.
Moving on . . .
When one faced the front entrance of the nuclear plant, they were presented with two doors.
One for new workers.
One for returning.
The 'returning' door was small. So small that anyone entering through it was forced to do so on their hands and knees.
Thus, on their knees, they could beg for employment.
It made quite an impression.
I kept watching.
Of course he was given his old job back.
And, of course, humiliated with every step.
Finally, seated once more in his old office, he was presented with a plaque which read: 'Don't Forget. You're Here Forever.'
This was fastened permanently to the wall directly in front of his console, where he wouldn't fail to see it.
Back to the two elder children and their conversation.
"So why are there no pictures?"
And his reply, "Oh there are pictures, kids. Lots and lots of pictures. They're where I need them!"
And then you get a view of his office as it looks now.
On every wall and, indeed, all available surfaces, are pictures of the little girl, in every stage of development.
And they cover much of the plaque.
Which now reads, 'Do It For Her'.
I cried.
It made me think about all of the fathers who go, every day, to a job they hate, just to feed and care for their families.
They are our unsung heroes.
We need to do more singing.

3 comments:

  1. Unsung heroes, indeed. This made me tear up. My Dad raised me as a single father after my mother died, and, as a teenager, I had no clue as to his heroism. I do now. Here's to all fathers, and all who take on the role of father. And sometimes, mother.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen! Sometimes even if it's a job you love, it's not always fun, there is a pot with every plant.

    Here's to the dads who do what they have to do.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?