Dear Dad:
Has it actually been twenty-eight
years since I last looked into your twinkling blue Irish eyes or had the
pleasure of being in your physical presence?
Some of the greatest and most
influential individuals who have walked this earth have gone unnoticed save for
those fortunate few who were blessed to walk in their steps. You are most
definitely one of those special men.
You never acquired that which so
many in this world admire, value, seek and equate with success and greatness: power,
property and prestige. You saw those items as “fool’s gold” and chose to live a
more simple but difficult life – a life of quiet dignity, hard work, good
example, perseverance, loving concern, and faith in the Almighty. Although you
were not given much material or educational advantages, you excelled in this life
because you loved.
You had an insatiable and life
long hunger for knowledge but willingly sacrificed your formal education in
order to help your large family survive the ordeals of the Great Depression. You
spent the rest of your life learning something new every day and relishing the
acquisition of knowledge in so many fields. You knew more about so many different
subjects than most college-educated individuals I have met. Oh, how you enjoyed
listening to and engaging in the
political debates over the pressing issues of your time!
You came from a large loving
family so it is no surprise that when you married you welcomed seven new lives
into this world. You were never a stranger to hard work. Your lack of formal
education made it more difficult for you to get the better paying jobs. So you
did what you had to do – you worked as many part times jobs as was necessary to
supplement the income from your full-time position and to insure that your
children would receive the quality formal education you had not.
Your work ethic did not go
unrecognized and you were rewarded with a well-paying union position with a
utility company. Yet, when you had to chose between doing what was right or
going along with your union bosses, you did what only men of integrity do – you
did what was right.
You paid a steep price – loss of a
well paying job and a return to a lifetime of multiple jobs in order to support
your family. Some felt you were foolish for following your conscience and doing
what was right. They were wrong. They should have admired your courage and
conviction. Mom did. Your children do.
Despite the resulting struggles
in your life, you never complained and we never felt deprived. We knew we were
loved.
We were too young to remember the
death of our two older brothers (one from polio and the other from pneumonia)
or to appreciate the life-long pain and anguish you and Mom experienced with
such a great loss. Even Mom’s many and prolonged illnesses for more than 30
years was something you accepted - that’s what love requires and what men of
integrity do.
Even though you were a man of
limited financial means, more than a handful of family members and friends told
us at your wake how you had always shared what little you had to help those who
had even less.
Though not formally educated, you
were filled with a wisdom that comes not from books, a wisdom you freely shared
when asked by those in need of direction and encouragement.
Few if any outside the family
knew the personal burdens you carried. You loved people. You were a great
listener. Everyone who got to know you respected you. You had a great Irish wit
and charm about you. You were a skillful and well liked bartender and certainly
enjoyed tipping a few with the boys at Cronin & Phelan when you were not
tending bar. Your friends and clients there valued the compassion and wisdom
that poured forth from your lips more than the liquid which flowed out of
bottles and taps. They told me so as did the 25 foot banner they placed on the back
wall behind the bar: “May Joe Seagriff rest in peace!”
Thank you for teaching me how to
be a man – a man of integrity and of faith.
With love from a grateful and
admiring son.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment