I’m remembering my dad this Memorial Day weekend.

And I bet a lot of others are remembering theirs, too.

Dad left this life 26 years ago.  I still seek his advice and insights almost every day.

Ken Bearnes was a 5’2″ “Buckeye”.   When WWII broke out,  the US Armed Forces told him he wasn’t tall enough.  So he went north and joined the Canadian Air Force.   Via the RAF he met my mom in England.  They dated.  He was shot down over Holland and was a POW in Germany for almost two years.  When he was released, my grandfather wouldn’t let him see my mom because they all thought he’d just dumped her.

So he showed up a few days later with a diamond ring (that he bought with all of his back pay).  They got married.  And after being a POW, suddenly 5’2″ was tall enough for the USMC.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Dad also fought in Korea and Viet Nam.   He did things and saw things I’ll never know or be able to imagine.

When he was home, Dad and I would get up at 5am, eat Grape Nuts (remember them?) and tell each other about the miracles we’d seen the day before.  I still try to like Grape Nuts and look for miracles every day.

I thought everyone had a dad like mine.

I know better now.

So this Memorial Day weekend, I’m going to spend a lot of time thinking about my dad – along with all the people who’ve done and seen things I can’t imagine  and still remembered to look for the miracles.

Thanks.