I've been posting bits and pieces on
Facebook about my father-in-law and his passing last week. The first
of the week, I thought how in the mid nineties, I'd walk at Buhl Park
in the morning on days off. I worked per Diem, so I had more days
off.
In the distance, three men often walked
in front of me. I don't remember ever really catching up with them.
The first one wore a ball cap and had that stocky walk of my
father-in-law. The second, also had a ball cap and was just a bit
taller than the first, reminding me of my dad. The last of the trio
had soft wavy white hair, like Uncle Homer, Lyle's new
brother-in-law. I would watch them conversing as they strode the
road. I called them Lyle, Jerry and Homer.
I'm glad in a way, I never caught up to
them. These three men portrayed the camaraderie of that generation to
me. They could be swapping war stories or of how they got they bought
their first car and house. Maybe a camping trip mishap could be
thrown in. An earlier story of skinny dipping in the river, maybe
could have been passed between them. If I had known the real men, I
wouldn't have thought of the three I knew.
The week before Lyle died, I approached
the park with Harrison and snapped pictures. The sunlight low in the
sky flowing into the groomed lawn and trees always makes me think of
Heaven. A slice of Heaven, I called the picture I took.
The picture in my mind of Lyle, Jerry
and Homer, now all in Heaven, entered my mind's eye. Now, arthritis
gone, gives them a smoother stride. I see them without pain of cancer
or dementia, still offering words of wisdom and concerns of love.
There are no days in Heaven, but the group may mix up at times,
joined by Leon and Clark with Lyle and Dave and Bill with Jerry.
Maybe the baby brothers they never knew are playing with them. I
don't know Homer's family to imagine who would join him in strolls
through the garden of Heaven.
In the midst of it all, Jesus joins and
plays, too. Yes, Jesus plays. Remember on the road to Emmaus? He
literally played hide-n-seek with those two men and disappeared when
they recognized Him.
I also think there is work to be done
in Heaven to prepare for the coming days. So maybe Jesus is calling
now on Lyle's resourcefulness. He made a log splitter for only eleven
dollars, because that is how much the hose he needed cost. They had
everything else on hand.
Lyle darned his socks and a few
grandkids' socks, too. Dad Lewis taught me crochet's beginnings, as
he made chains. This generation didn't have much, but they earned
everything they had. They also shared what they had and were generous
with materials and wisdom and love.
Tears spring to my eyes. I cry for Dad
Lyon and the loss of a generation. They seemed to touch the past more
than we have. They lived with no electricity. Lyle talked of when
horse and buggy outnumbered automobiles in Emporium. Outhouses more
common than indoor plumbing. Gardens supplemented the table and a
family member slaughtered a cow or pig for meat. Chickens beheaded for Sunday dinner.
They could tell the seasons to come by
observing the trees, caterpillars and birds. They could feel
immediate changes in the weather and prepare for that. They also
showed no fear. I can't believe we didn't mention John Wayne, Dad
Lyon loved his movies. I saw a quote by John Wayne today when shopping that summarizes
this generation, Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up
anyway.
Good bye to one
more of the greatest, generous, gutsy generation.
