Kindness & Karma
Each month the editors will solicit responses from our readers to questions that embrace unexpected inspiration. Only those responses with first/last names and state will be posted. Editors reserve the right to edit for content and word count.
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JUNE '16: |
The editors want to know....
"Tell us something special you remember about your dad - something he said, a philosophy he instilled or a special memory. Or…tell us about another man in your life and what you admire about how he fathers others (your husband, brother, grandfather, son, etc.)."
Reader responses...
“My dad passed away on Father's Day. I learned a life lesson from him on my 9th birthday. There was a girl in my class who lived in a very small, unkempt home. She was not very popular. I used to pretend to be her friend when it was convenient. I invited everyone to my party that year - except her. However, she bought me a gift anyway. My father told me that if I treat people so poorly because they have less than me, then I deserve nothing. He made me go to her house to invite her over. Funny…out of all the gifts I received that birthday, I remember two: the kitty cat puzzle wrapped in newspaper that she gave me and my dad’s gift of amazing insight on how to treat and perceive others.” ~ Christine Barnes - NY
“I can't believe my dad will be gone six years. The man was full of great lines. I still hear him in my head saying them. ‘The first baby comes quick…the rest take nine months" and "Little kids - little problems. Big kids - big problems.’ Thank you for letting me share. I miss him.” ~ Meghan Frandino - NY
“My papa has Alzheimer's, and he has become so Zen. He is sweet, emotional, patient, sentimental and calm - traits I knew were in him but rarely saw. This disease has been a curse and yet a blessing for our profound love.” ~ Maria Hoskins - NY
“My dad died way too soon at fifty-two. To know him was to love him. I never heard him say an unkind thing about anyone which always amazed me. His favorite Irish saying: "May your soul already be in heaven for an hour, before the devil knows you're dead." A favorite memory: He chose to write on the BLUE page of my 8th grade yearbook, "Never be like this page". ~ Myrna K. King – NY
“My father told me, ‘Judge a friendship on the totality of your relationship, not on one isolated incident.’” ~ Elizabeth Mahoney - NJ
“A month before my dad died, he spoke about WWII and life in general: You're so fired up for war, and then you are on a bomber, dropping bombs on people and killing them. You really have to rethink life and the needless end to lives.” ~ Gail McGann – VT
