tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post4807349781499463538..comments2023-04-27T04:30:40.440-05:00Comments on Digging Out of Distraction: Birthday Wishes and Memories of My DadChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-35155175541401177372010-11-19T02:43:36.695-06:002010-11-19T02:43:36.695-06:00Hi Patricia: Thank you for sharing your father'...Hi Patricia: Thank you for sharing your father's story. The bike ride to Moscow sounds grueling especially after being in POW camp. The only reason I know anything at all is because my Dad wrote this little memoir in 1991. We read through more pages after dinner on Wednesday. Now I am even more curious about those events. <br /><br />The best part of the celebration day was in finding all these little signs that reminded me of Dad and reading through the memoir with my daughter sitting at the dining room table (a rarity as she is a busy teenager).Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-23521795171760137042010-11-18T18:56:07.222-06:002010-11-18T18:56:07.222-06:00Such a beautiful tribute! My father passed away 11...Such a beautiful tribute! My father passed away 11 years ago and he was a POW in Germany. He never talked much about the war and now I wished I has asked him more. I remember he said after the Russians freed the American prisoners, they rode bicycles from Germany to Moscow and averaged a hundred miles a day.Patricia Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04538067779006621088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-32260029049824855312010-11-18T06:59:39.301-06:002010-11-18T06:59:39.301-06:00Katherine: I'm sorry you lost your dad, too. I...Katherine: I'm sorry you lost your dad, too. I know what you mean about the dreams--they seem so real, don't they? I had a great day celebrating his birthday. We ate a lovely dinner in the dining room and read passages from Dad's life and hard times memoir. Of course, there were sections that I'd forgotten which made me curious to find out more about them.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-56264700010656914392010-11-17T22:38:30.615-06:002010-11-17T22:38:30.615-06:00Christine, your blog was a great memorial to your ...Christine, your blog was a great memorial to your dad's memory today. I lost my father 2 1/2 years ago. In my dreams he is as real as you and I. The dreams are so vivid that I hate to wake up in the morning because I know they will end and he will fade away again.<br /><br />Time passes and just as the seasons, people come and go. But the differences made in our lives assures us we are alive, that we're loved, that we're worth every wonderful memory given. <br /><br />Blessings to you on this day and may your father's memory bring joy to you every day to come. ;)Katherine Bonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14701961380138616355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-69480087052196043552010-11-17T10:17:53.094-06:002010-11-17T10:17:53.094-06:00Hi Anna: Dad was an interesting man. I always enjo...Hi Anna: Dad was an interesting man. I always enjoyed our "intellectual discussions." Whenever he'd visit us in DC, he and I would go to the National Art Gallery (cause he was an artist, too) and check out the exhibits. Afterward we'd go for a lovely lunch at the fountain restaurant where we'd also enjoy a glass of wine. He had an explorer's heart and a philosopher's mind. <br /><br />Today I am exploring Madison and Huntsville as a way of honoring his memory. <br /><br />:-)Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-66672820978341716852010-11-17T10:15:28.941-06:002010-11-17T10:15:28.941-06:00Hi Gwen: *hugs* back--I'm going to make this d...Hi Gwen: *hugs* back--I'm going to make this day a great day by doing the things I know my Dad would enjoy doing. It's a beautiful, sunny day so first on the list is browsing at Barnes & Noble and a coffee from their Starbucks.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-67004539364621704852010-11-17T09:28:19.277-06:002010-11-17T09:28:19.277-06:00What a lovely thing to say about your dad. I'...What a lovely thing to say about your dad. I'm sorry he's gone. Love the memories you have. *hugs*Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-23611924934862790402010-11-17T09:21:13.448-06:002010-11-17T09:21:13.448-06:00Beautiful post, Christine. Thanks for sharing your...Beautiful post, Christine. Thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts on this difficult day. *hugs*Gwen Hernandezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01394401588845644494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-58251193636889186212010-11-17T09:04:08.973-06:002010-11-17T09:04:08.973-06:00What a beautiful post! I think people most always ...What a beautiful post! I think people most always regret unforgiveness. I'm glad you forgave and had time with your dad.Laura Paulinghttp://www.laurapauling.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-23774688383222428652010-11-17T06:56:29.315-06:002010-11-17T06:56:29.315-06:00Hi Melissa. Thank you--I'm making a special di...Hi Melissa. Thank you--I'm making a special dinner and doing what I love today in honor of him.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-87613998590745232832010-11-17T06:54:34.475-06:002010-11-17T06:54:34.475-06:00Oh, what a beautiful post! Special memories are tr...Oh, what a beautiful post! Special memories are truly gifts we should cherish. Thanks for sharing. May your day be filled with laughter and joy as you celebrate his life. :)Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12960493353454007017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-37615505765211503822010-11-17T06:31:12.001-06:002010-11-17T06:31:12.001-06:00Thank you Kieran. I believe in the power of love. ...Thank you Kieran. I believe in the power of love. And not just the HEA kind, but the big kind that fills this universe and flows through us if we open our hearts to it.<br /><br />PS--I am enjoying your book WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY!! So good :-)Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-83633722186720295642010-11-17T06:28:21.021-06:002010-11-17T06:28:21.021-06:00Hi Ellen: Thank you for your insights. I think you...Hi Ellen: Thank you for your insights. I think you're right. By working through our issues, we had a deeper relationship. He was a genuinely curious and interesting man. I think of him a lot. One of the saddest things for me is that I can't share my writing pursuits with him. I didn't write my first novel till after he had passed away. But today I will celebrate his life and the gifts he gave to me by honoring the creative spirit he did nurture within me.Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05383099148014297450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-33814971292435883752010-11-17T06:28:17.311-06:002010-11-17T06:28:17.311-06:00What a lovely, LOVING tribute to your father, Chri...What a lovely, LOVING tribute to your father, Christine. And you're so wise understanding that he was human, too. We all make our mistakes, but love is bigger than the pain those mistakes create. Love is the only thing that lasts forever. You and your dad will always be connected by that love you shared.Kierannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5523176879771875815.post-4298532718085750802010-11-17T05:56:36.384-06:002010-11-17T05:56:36.384-06:00This is a beautiful post, Christine, thank you for...This is a beautiful post, Christine, thank you for sharing. Your dad sounds like a remarkable man.<br /><br />Sometimes the relationships that have their troubles and their 'lost years' end up being deeper and more profound than the ones that just tick over nicely. They force us to think, and to analyse, and to know the other person better, and that can lead to amazing insight and beauty.<br /><br />Thinking of you and the family today.Ellen Brickleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01184391430927483100noreply@blogger.com