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 My Father

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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

My Father Empty
PostSubject: My Father   My Father EmptyThu Jun 20, 2013 7:26 am

I've been thinking a lot about my dad lately, partly because of Father's Day, and partly because of some circumstances that have brought me to a place where I am remembering stories that I had forgotten.  I posted one of those on Facebook on Father's Day:

Quote :
The second of these photos of my dad was taken at a dinner honoring his 40 years with the shipyard. He was asked to make a speech. I will try to paraphrase: “My father gave me my first job here when I was 14. It involved scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boats in drydock. I was too tall to do it standing and too short to do it sitting so I had to squat for hours, as the barnacle juice ran down my arm and under my shirt. At the end of the day, my dad stopped me and asked me if I liked working in a shipyard, and I told him, honestly, not very much, sir. He replied that it would be wise of me to study hard, keep my grades up, and go to college, or I would be working in a shipyard for the rest of my life. So I listened; I worked hard; I went to college....but I ended up working in a shipyard all my life anyway.”


My Father DadsmallMy Father Dad%20at%20ceremony2
 

 
 This morning I find myself remembering something he taught me.  His work led to his involvement with technological exchange conferences in both Russia and China, both in the middle of the Cold War.  I asked him how he felt about sharing his work with those particular countries.. His answer was one I still remember.  He said that becoming interdependent was the best and safest way to maintain peace between different countries.
He was involved in an incredibly competitive business, but he understood the value of cooperation. His co-workers often called him "The Diplomat."
There were those who considered my father a weak man.  There were times and instances when I thought it might be true.  He was certainly a non-violent man, a soft-spoken man, but one with a great deal of dignity a true gentleman - a gentle man.  Today, as I look back, I realize what strength and courage it took for him to quietly go about doing his work,, work that provided a major contribution , not just to his community, or even country, but to the world.
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: My Father   My Father EmptyThu Jun 20, 2013 7:33 am

Your father was right. The European union was set up for the same reason: know thy enemy.

"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."
-- Sun Tzu


Last edited by Shelagh on Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:49 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Abe F. March
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Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

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PostSubject: Re: My Father   My Father EmptyThu Jun 20, 2013 8:05 am

What Shelagh said.
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alice
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alice


Number of posts : 15672
Registration date : 2008-10-22
Age : 76
Location : Redmond, WA

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PostSubject: Re: My Father   My Father EmptyThu Jun 20, 2013 8:11 am

I know where your great brain came from.  From God and your Father.  Thankful to both of them for you!
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