Here’s a thought (or two) I’d like to share…
“A new day: Be open enough to see opportunities. Be wise enough to be grateful. Be courageous enough to be happy.” ~ Steve Maraboli It’s a new dawn It’s a new day It’s a new life for me And I’m feeling good ~sung by Michael Buble, words by Leslie Bricusse
“New day, new world!!” If I’ve heard this once, I’ve heard it a million times from my precious father-in-law. Only when he was really hungry was he anything but cheerful. His outlook could turn the worst days into happier ones. Dad was one of 10 children of immigrant parents. A product of the Depression, it was necessary for him to drop out of school after the 8th grade to help support the family. Only after serving in WWII, was he able to get his GED and go to college. I suppose he learned very early to make the most of things and appreciate whatever life offered him.
Before David and I had children, Dad would often come visit us for the weekend. Those weekends were so filled with laughter, and playfulness. David and Dad would wrestle at the slightest provocation — like two 10-year-olds. I’d often hear something fall over or hit the wall and I’d know they were playing again. They would be laughing so hard that neither of them had much coordination. You know that kind of belly-laughing that makes your knees weak and your movements kind of goofy. Sometimes, I’d literally sit and watch them, laughing so hard my face hurt.
Dad believed in David and me as a couple. He loved seeing us together and loved us both without reservation. He never hesitated to tell us how much he loved how much we loved each other. His enjoyment of “us” was a gift I didn’t fully realize at the time. It’s only been through looking back that I can understand that his belief in us bolstered our belief in us. I truly feel that his belief in and support of us as a couple has been a bedrock for us through the years – all 32 of them.
When Lacy was born, Dad became “Papa,” and he was Lacy’s favorite playmate. He would take her on walks and tirelessly pick dandelions with her. He would allow her to put his hair (of which there wasn’t much) in tiny barrettes, and he had no problem being totally present while she acted out and narrated long, involved stories about her little plastic ponies. David and I would lovingly tease him about his unwavering cheerfulness, but fortunately, his good-naturedness met our pokes with something akin to shining even more brightly, and he would say, “New day, new world!”
Even as he began to lose his memory to Alzheimer’s, he remained ever cheerful. Right up to the end of his life, when we would say, “New day, new world!” to him and he’d smile with a far-away recognition and even chuckle a bit. It’s been 20 years ago this month that Papa passed away. But, just like it was yesterday, I can see his toothy grin and hear him exclaim, “New day, new world!”
Happy Father’s Day, Papa!! We love you to the moon and back!
Wishing you a heart that sings, “New day, new world!”
Namasté Augusta