MAY 27, 2020 – “Carpe diem,” states phrases.org.uk, “is widely used, but isn’t understood by everyone, which might explain why we see more searches for this little expression than for any other phrase. ‘Seize the day.’ Its implication being that our time on Earth is short and we should make good use of it.” Indeed.
To seize some Father’s Day cards, you have 25 more days. Gotta say, those of us who no longer have our own great dads around find ourselves encouraging those who do to, yep, Seize That Day.
Cardie Beverly Wise reached out to us after our Memorial Day salute to say, “My father served in the Army Air Corps in WWII. We lost him in 2014, and I miss him every day. Just like the Eagle card says, I do imagine him ‘strong, proud and free.'” Then Bev shared this touching and inspiring memory of Wellington M. Wise …
“On Dad’s 93rd birthday, he and I were sitting together, Papa Bear telling stories. He’d been stationed in Papua New Guinea for most of the war (in The 38th Bomb Group, 405th Squadron, called The Sun Setters).
“When I asked him how long he’d served, Dad was quick to say, ‘Three years, 11 months and 22 days.’ When I exclaimed, ‘My Word! How do you remember that so precisely?’ he dug out his discharge papers and showed me how that exact time frame was listed under a Longevity for Pay Purposes section. Looking further, I was able to see all the campaigns my father had been in, and then was surprised to read the list of medals he’d earned.
Beverly Wise with her decorated Dad on Father’s Day 2008
“Dad, where are your medals?” I asked. “You’ve never shown us those!” He sighed and said, ‘Aaahhh, the Army and its paperwork. To receive our medals, we all had to fill out more paperwork when we got back and, well, I just never bothered.
“Well, anyone who knows me knows I wasn’t going to let that go! I contacted my local congressional office to learn how to go about getting Dad his medals.
“Nine months later, on Father’s Day 2008, I came bearing a special, commemorative gift — all of Dad’s World War II medals and others he’d earned during his nearly four years of service to our country.
“Dad later told my mother that it was the best gift anyone could ever have given him. It still makes me weep to recall the day Papa Bear got his medals! We lost Dad six years ago, at 99. A special guy who deserved to be decorated and celebrated.”
Wow. Inspired by how Bev so lovingly honored her dad, we’ve come up with a happy Father’s Day Challenge for us all: Pick a dad, any good dad — or a few! — and come up with “the best gift anyone could ever give him.” Following Bev’s lead, let’s make this about really seeing these men and what matters to them. In a Cardie’s thoughtful way, let’s seize the opportunity that is Father’s Day to show and say that we feel blessed to have them in our lives.
This is such a beautiful story! Thank you Bev, for sharing your story with Jodee and then she sharing it with us.
My dad died 36 years ago and I still miss him. He got me and for that I’m eternally grateful!