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I so wish my kids had the chance to know him better. My daughter was only 2 when he passed, and my youngest son almost a year old. They only know him through stories we tell. I don't have any pics of my second son with my Dad, and only a handful with my oldest son, maybe one each for the other two children...... sad, hey? Just makes me realize that I should be snapping pics all the time! You never know when our loved ones will be taken from us.
My Dad was an amazing man who taught me so much! He always encouraged a love of learning -- he was learning all the time, studying to get his electrical license when he was still a young teen. He actually wired the first house in the town he grew up in, at the age of 15! He was also a wonderful cabinet-maker and a house builder..... and a plumber. A jack-of-all-trades, I guess :-) He taught me to try my best at whatever interested me. He showed me the value of hard work and taking pride in your work. He loved his wife, his children and he absolutely LOVED to spoil his grandchildren with candy treats, and lots of hugs and kisses :-)
Here he is at what he truly enjoyed -- installing a set of cabinets. This photo was taken only a few days before the accident.
Some days I can recall vividly when and how I learned of his death. I re-live the days and events of those first few days leading up to his funeral, and I remember the actual funeral service. Everything seems so recent. Then there are days when it seems to be an eternity since he was taken from us. Life changed so drastically and will never be the same for our family.
I so love this poem written by my uncle and read at the funeral. He has a great way with words, I think.
The Cabinetmaker
By Dale Penney
By Dale Penney
Through the open shop door, you can see him,
In an amber haze of oak dust;
Amid whirling saws and routers-
The cabinetmaker...
Surrounded by the tools of his trade
And a growing stack of rails and stiles
And raised panels.
The re-shaped oak, though bread and butter,
Is, to him the fruit of labor's love;
Right now, to another's eye, just bits and pieces,
But in his eye, a finished work of art.
That half-smile on his face gives lie
That this is work;
That's contentment - his labor also pleasure;
And satisfaction - in a job well started,
Assured of an end result that meets the designer's standard.
In an amber haze of oak dust;
Amid whirling saws and routers-
The cabinetmaker...
Surrounded by the tools of his trade
And a growing stack of rails and stiles
And raised panels.
The re-shaped oak, though bread and butter,
Is, to him the fruit of labor's love;
Right now, to another's eye, just bits and pieces,
But in his eye, a finished work of art.
That half-smile on his face gives lie
That this is work;
That's contentment - his labor also pleasure;
And satisfaction - in a job well started,
Assured of an end result that meets the designer's standard.
....and, now....
The tools lie idle and silent..
The dust has settled...
The cabinetmaker absent from his shop.
His own designer, it appears,
Is satisfied with this project, and has called him home.
Now, here he lies in a finely crafted coffin,
Resting on silk and his favorite wood;
Surrounded by his wife, his children, and theirs;
Quite unprepared to see the once busy hands so still.
There's grief here, and sorrow;
But, that half-smile on his face gives lie
That this is the end.
That's contentment - his soul at rest;
And satisfaction - his children, and theirs, another job well-started,
And assured of an end result that meets the Designer's standard.
Resting on silk and his favorite wood;
Surrounded by his wife, his children, and theirs;
Quite unprepared to see the once busy hands so still.
There's grief here, and sorrow;
But, that half-smile on his face gives lie
That this is the end.
That's contentment - his soul at rest;
And satisfaction - his children, and theirs, another job well-started,
And assured of an end result that meets the Designer's standard.
