Interviewing Dad

Like Jeanne and her dad, I'd heard about my father's earlier years before. For our group's assignment, however, I hoped to delve more into his childhood. I'm not sure my father even had one. There's not one photograph of him as a boy, no artifacts, such as a report card or something he may have crafted--nothing. (He won a medal as a teenager, but I wanted something of him before then.) When we spoke, I tried directing my father's responses into light-hearted terrain--such as hobbies or sports. I learned a few new things then, that my father went out for track and was captain of his school's "honor guard." (I think this was in junior high, though.) But my father always returned to one central theme--that his family was poor, poor even before the Great Depression hit in 1929. He spoke about how he always scrambled to earn money to help his family, even at the ages of 7 or 8. My heart broke when my dad said that because my grandparents couldn't afford eyeglasses, he had to sit in the front row in class, where he was the tallest student. Those years were decidedly tough, but my father met every challenge that confronted him.  He went on to enjoy all that life has to offer--including 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Without question, interviewing Dad reminded me that I'm as proud of him as he deserves to be of himself, and I was glad to tell him so.