A Chance Meeting- A Powerful Lesson

photo: my front porch where stories are told

We had a low key 4th of July this year. The city park is right across the street. So we made our usual rounds to the many booths set up there. The only thing I bought was a Hawaiian Shave Ice (bubble gum flavored, of course).

Later in the evening, my parents came over for Millionaire Pie (see recipe below). As we sat visiting, my dad told about his day at the park. His story brought tears to my eyes and I really believe it's worth repeating. What a lesson for parents, and for children.

As my father sat eating his lunch, a man with his four little boys passed by. The young dad smiled and said, "Hi." He walked a few steps and then turned and walked back to my father. His little boys followed behind him, looking bewildered. My father's WWII cap had caught his eye and he asked if Dad had been in the war.

After a short conversation, the man turned his attention to his children. He explained what it means to be a veteran. Then with their father's encouragement, the little boys each put their little hand out to shake my dad's. And along with the handshake, each little voice said two powerful words, "Thank You." Last in the line was a little boy of about five.

"Did you get hurt?" he asked innocently.

"Just a little," my father replied.

I am sure that the father of those little boys changed the course of his children's lives forever. We'll never know the story behind it, but suffice to say, six people left that short moment in time, changed.

As the daughter of a WWII veteran, I can't tell you how many prayers have been lifted for my father. Sometimes God's answers don't come with a lightening bolt and a booming voice from heaven. Sometimes His answers are far more powerful than that-like this day when the answer came in the form of a small child.

If you see a veteran, please don't pass by. Your words could be the answer. ~Karen

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I always find it interesting how foods become forever entwined with memories. This particular story was told to me over Millionaire Pie. So just for fun, here's the recipe;

Millionaire Pie

Mix together:

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 cup granulated sugar

1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple (drained)

1- 8 oz container Cool Whip

Pour into graham cracker crust and freeze. Enjoy!

New Blog Feature - Wednesdays with Murray

The year was 2001 and the tradition started as all traditions do, without anyone being aware it was starting. My father had just given me more than 400 pages of letters he wrote to his folks during the war. Many were hand-written, the rest were typed. And though I thought I'd heard all of my father's war stories, the letters provided more questions than answers. Ultimately, I would learn that I hadn't heard the whole story at all.

My father told his three girls his war stories over and over throughout our childhood. But now, with letters in hand, something wasn't adding up. Something wasn't fitting. Something was wrong. So when Dad asked me out to lunch one day, I brought a couple of the letters with me. I began asking questions over chicken enchilada soup, one week at a time. The answers came haltingly, slowly, and sometimes they didn't come at all.

Hard to believe it has been seven years since the tradition began. It started as a simple quest to find the truth, to put the missing puzzle piece of my family history into its proper place. Over time, it became a book. BREAKING THE CODE-A DAUGHTER'S JOURNEY is the result. But our weekly lunch together didn't stop there. When I left my job as a teacher, we switched from meeting for lunch to meeting for breakfast.

Mr. Eds is a local diner. Other than a few times when there are lots of tourists in town, this is one of those places that always offers local flavor and I'm not just talking about the food. Dad still insists on paying for my breakfast. At first he said he'd pay for mine until I got published, but when I was published in a magazine for the first time, he decided he'd pay until I get a BOOK published. We split an eggs Benedict with extra sauce on the side (for him) every week. The cook knows us and starts cooking it when he sees us pull into the parking lot. It's nice to be known like that (every now and then we order something different just to throw him off).

So today, I am announcing a new blog feature called, "Wednesdays with Murray." Every Wednesday, I'll share with you, my readers, something about our time together. Whether it has to do with the war, the book, or a simple musing about a father and a daughter spending time together - you'll find it here every Wednesday.

Photo (courtesy of our waitress): Elvis poses with Dad and me.

I hope you enjoy this new feature. And please don't forget to...WRITE NOW-because it truly is later than you think. ~Karen