Memories, Plans and History - Happy Birthday Dad

Happy birthday to my Dad, long dead but not forgotten. A good parent is someone who supports you, even when they don't necessarily understand you. Dad was all of that. He was supportive of my efforts and various career goals, even when he didn't understand what in the world I would do with them. He occasionally wanted results the way he wanted them, and I usually failed in that. But no matter what, his love was sure and steady and a great foundation upon which to build my life. I was lucky. 

My parents were amazing people - strong and steadfast 
in their love for each other and for me. I was very lucky, 
I realize now. 

When the Nazis invaded Austria (of course, they didn't actually invade, they were invited in with strewn roses and marching bands), Mom was immediately shipped off to England for her safety, and Dad packed a backpack and started hiking. He ended up hiking across much of Europe before finally finding a ship that would take him to the USA where he landed in New York and started saving money for Mon's passage over to join him. He never talked of this - only in little bits and pieces. I suspect it wasn't quite as easy as two sentences. But what's important is that he got out of Europe and both of them survived. Several of Dad's siblings also survived by pure luck, but Mom's family was almost completely wiped out. She never talked of her family, but I'll be meeting relatives from Dad's family when I go to my family reunion this upcoming August. 

I'll be heading to New York City in mid-August this year 
for my family reunion. This is my Dad's side of the 
family, and I have met only one or two of them over the 
long years. I'm really looking forward to this, even 
though the timing could certainly have been better. 
I was hoping to expand the trip and visit friends on 
the East Coast, but it just won't work out with our 
schedule for closing the store, so I'll have to put that 
off for a later date. 

Today is going to be a bit crazy/busy. It's my "day off", and between my usual errands and hopefully some time in the kitchen, I also have my orthodontic appointment. I usually try to get that first thing in the morning, but the earliest they had available was 10:15 am, so right in the middle of my morning, on a snowy day. Argh! I really could do without the extra errand, but I'm really looking forward to the next progression on my braces. It's been a totally amazing journey so far. 

I should really take a quick update photo today before I 
go back to the orthodontist, because there's been so 
much change. My bottom teeth, from being all 
pushed around and crooked, are now aligned with each 
other beautifully, as are my top. I know there's a long 
time still to come, but the changes have been 
stunning. 

But, first things first. I'll need to shovel the driveway today (probably twice since it won't stop snowing until close to noon) and put the garbage and recycling bins at the curb for pickup. That means this will be a short post, because there's just no time to breathe - at least not until afternoon. Fortunately I have my weekly convo with Aearwen later today, so I'll be able to sit back with a cup of tea and a good friend for an hour late today.