{"id":8563,"date":"2014-03-16T15:16:37","date_gmt":"2014-03-16T22:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/?p=8563"},"modified":"2014-03-16T20:34:37","modified_gmt":"2014-03-17T03:34:37","slug":"dad-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/2014\/03\/16\/dad-died\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad Died"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dad-and-Family-650\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The family, circa 1961, Dad, me, Steve, Mom, Lynnel, Sue, and Lori. Cropped off is the feet. Dad’s shoes were about size seventy-five.<\/h6>\n

My dad died last night. It had been coming . . . really ever since Mom died in November. This seems like Part 2 of a two-part event.<\/p>\n

Of course, I’m grateful for the sympathy of friends, but grief is not the sensation of the moment. It’s more of a reflection, a look at a life well lived, a perspective of my own from here out.<\/p>\n

Dad hadn’t been talking much in these last months, toward the end not at all. On our last visit all he did was hold out his hand\u2014to me, and then to Anne. At 97, I was impressed with the strength of his grip.<\/p>\n

There’s much I could say of this man I not only loved but deeply respected. From him I learned many things. Not that his teaching was so overt, but there was a solid modeling . . . of what a man is and does.<\/p>\n

For one thing, he wasn’t afraid to take things on. He could fix things, or make things. He had an expressed attitude that said, \u201cThese things (whatever they were) are man made; I am a man, I too can make them \/ fix them \/ do them.<\/p>\n

It was far into my adulthood before I realized I could call a repair man or take my car to a shop. Dad always did these things himself. And very often for others.<\/p>\n

He got a lot done but was never in a hurry.<\/p>\n

He introduced me to fishing. In his great patience and “thinking about it” he could catch even when nobody else was. That wasn’t the same with me, so it didn’t stick.<\/p>\n

He taught me to ride a motorcycle, out in the wilds of Wyoming, something he probably lamented as, at 14, I got caught doing it in Southern California traffic.<\/p>\n

He taught me the value of friendliness, again by modeling. Same with family leadership. And of working two jobs if necessary to support his family, as well as explore a new interest.<\/p>\n

He tried teaching me the facts of life, but shy about these things, waited too long. (The world teaches early.)<\/p>\n

It was him that influenced me to read a certain book that in the end, brought me to God. For this I have him to thank for both of my lives, the earthly and the eternal.<\/p>\n

On that note I’ll stop. It’s another reason that any grief we have is of a different sort than that of those without hope. I know I’ll see him again.<\/p>\n

We’ll talk.<\/p>\n

And I know his grip will be strong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s a very brief tribute for a man to whom I owe the most, and a vintage photo of the family. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8563"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8587,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563\/revisions\/8587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyattmoore.com\/blank-slate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}