Dad always wanted to be a doctor. He was even a medic in World War I. But my grandfather insisted he become an engineer. Not wanting to rebel against his father but still following his own dream, Dad carried a double major in engineering and medical science.
One day, his grades arrived home before he did, and my Grandfather, anxious to see his son's progress, had opened the envelope and became aware of Dad's plans.
When Dad arrived home, he was greeted by one irate Father. "How dare you disobey me!" my grandfather shouted as he slapped my Dad hard across the face. Dad left home that day, never to return. Shortly thereafter, he went to war, leaving my Mother, with whom he was deeply in love.
My aunts did not like my mother, to whom my father had been devoted since they were nine years old. When Dad was in the service, they wrote him that she had married someone else (which was a lie).
Upon getting out of the service, Dad went to Chicago to begin his tremendous career as a great salesman.
During this time, my mother was touring throughout the United States with her violin, not knowing why Dad had quit writing her.
One day, while she was eating lunch in a restaurant, a man walked past her table and, with his left hand, straightened his hair.
Years before, Dad had broken his little finger on his left hand, and it had never totally straightened... and this is what my Mother noticed in this man walking by her.
"George!" she yelled. The man turned around, and, sure enough,
it was Dad. Upon hearing that Mom had never married, he wasted no time. They were joined together within two weeks.
Their life was so filled with love that Dad was even able to reestablish communication with my Grandfather. They developed a cordial relationship, but were never as close as they had been up to that fateful day when the grades were discovered.
A few years later, Grandfather Schlatter passed away, and Dad was left with a void in his heart that he felt would never heal.
My parents didn't like Christmas; they loved Christmas. Following a tradition established by Grandfather Schlatter, they waited to put up the tree and put out the presents until Christmas Eve when we were asleep. So we grew up thinking Santa not only delivered gifts, but he also put up and decorated our Christmas trees.
One Christmas Eve, when my brothers were still small and I was not yet born, Mom and Dad had finished their fun filled chores and were peaceably sitting in front of the fire, looking at the twinkling tree and watching the snow peacefully fall outside. Dad's thoughts drifted to my Grandfather. "Just as you did for us, Dad, we have done for our boys," he thought to himself. He was filled with an intense wish and/or prayer that they could have re-established the warmth that had at one time been in their relationship before my grandfather's departure.
Silent Night, which was always Grandfather Schlatter's favorite Christmas Carol, came on the radio, and suddenly... Continue
Click on the "Featured Story" tab...
|
