Kindness I Took for Granted

I took for granted that Dad* was always there for my family and me.  When I was first married he was worried about Arnold** and me because we were so young.  I look back now and I can see why.  But we were young and in love and felt we could conquer the world.  Dad would usually stay in the background.  But if asked or saw we needed help he was always there for us.  He would come and rescue us when we had a flat tire.  Bought us an old 48 Chevy car.  Not much to look at but at least it had springs and the roof didn’t leek like the 51 Ford convertible we had.  We didn’t ask but I think he was afraid because I was Very pregnant at the time.  In later years because he was a timber faller (lumberjack) and could fall a tree in any direction you wanted he fell some trees for us.  We were still young married with children when we bought our first home with two large trees in our back yard.  We liked the trees but Dad come over and took them out because he told us they were going to be a problem soon if we just let them grow.  Pruning wasn’t an option because it would kill the trees anyway.  So just like I said the trees were cut down so that they never came close to our house or fences.

Over the years he helped us move several times.  We moved to the San Bernardino mountains and we had a fireplace that he helped us cut wood for.  Now that I’m older, I really appreciate who and what he stood for.  I wish he were her for me to tell him so.  I wasn’t so much what he did, but he helped me grown up when I thought I was already grown up.

* Robert Charles Davidson
** Arnold Ray House