FATHER'S DAY

As do many dates on the calendar, Father’s Day is one of the most thought provoking in my memory.  Many will share my experience of losing a dad too soon in life.  At only 61 years of age, my dad succumbed to a disease of the circulatory system that plagued him for years.  He spent his life working in a chemical plant where he suffered exposure to various chemicals being researched and developed. In the early part of the twentieth century, when industrial development thrived, safety and possible injury remained aloof in the view of the great success of the advancement of manufacturing.  My dad and two uncles died in their early sixties after working from their teenage years in the same chemical industry. Thank God for the advances in protecting workers from such dangerous environments. 

The phone call came in the evening to my husband at the airport where he worked.  As he told of my dad’s untimely death from a massive heart attack, I felt my world falling apart.  I loved my dad with all my heart.  He above all others could still my fears, lift my spirits, excuse my faults, celebrate my successes, and love me unconditionally even when I didn’t deserve it.  Although it’s been 42 years, as I remember that evening, I feel the sharp pain in my heart as I accepted the finality of his passing.  William Donald Halstead, Jr. lived a simple live.  He worked with a passion to make life good for his family.  He lived a faithful life to his wife, my mother, and he taught his children to be independent and to reach for the stars.  He taught us to respect authority, to love God and His Word, and to give our whole heart to every task. He lived an example for us to follow.

Well-known and loved in the small community where they lived, nearly 200 friends passed through to express their sentiments to us, his loved ones.  We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of respect for our Dad. My mother lived many years longer, and I thank God for those precious years with her.  However, the pain at losing my dad has always haunted my spirit.  As Father’s Day celebrations fill June 19, 2016, with the honor deserved, I still miss my daddy.

The last years of his life, he visited my family often enjoying every minute with my three daughters.  The song “Make the World Go Away” was popular in that time frame of his retirement.  He loved teasing the children and singing the song to them as he often suffered silently with his illness.  As I swam in waves of grief the night of his death before boarding a plane to Texas for his funeral, I penned the following poem, and I still feel that grief.  This is for you, Dad, on this Father’s Day, June 19, 2016, as I live awaiting the day I will join you in Heaven.

MAKE THE WORLD GO AWAY

Once he was strong with a stubborn will

A tower of manhood, my Daddy Bill

Gentle and young, a wit of fun and pleasure

Savoring life each moment to treasure

As the years passed and youth did wane

His eyes grew dim and his body knew pain

He delighted the young ones in joyful play

With his teasing tune, “Make the World Go Away”

Unsteady hands, uncertain steps to take

A restless night, a blue morning to awake

But always a cheerful joke, the young to tease

He sang a tune, “Make the World Go Away,” please

Now the strength is gone, memories remain

Blue mornings, bad nights. There’ll be no more pain

Now he sings a new tune with the angels to play

For this winter evening, God “Made the World Go Away”

            The June calendar also celebrates Dad’s birthday. Born June 28, 1912, and passed to eternity, January 22, 1974.

YOU WILL NEVER REGRET THE HONOR PAID TO YOUR FATHER.

REMEMBER, JUNE 19TH