A Smile and A Paper Flower
“I made this one just for you,” he said, and proceeded to tell me every step of its construction. I wonder if he’d been an engineer. On the bottom he’d written ‘This was made by Veteran David Norton, of Kenova, W. V., July 7-2011 Monday.’ I found Kenova on Mapquest. It isn’t too far from the Veterans ....
I recently was my dad’s guardian on an Honor Flight for Veterans to Washington, D. C., and spent a long amazing day with 80 veterans, mostly World War II, and 79 guardians like myself.
My dad’s 91 and blind. Even though he couldn’t see everything, he heard the applause everywhere we went and felt hands of all sizes shaking his hand and thanking him for his service. He loved “seeing” the nation’s capital and Arlington National Cemetery. That was May 28, his birthday. Forty five days later he lies comatose in the hospital attached to the nursing home where we moved him and my mom only three weeks ago.
My dad enjoyed the outdoors. He would have loved that park where the veterans hang out, talk, and reminisce in Barboursville. The yellow flower from there still makes me smile. I wonder about David Norton. Perhaps he will meet my dad soon along with all the other Greatest Generation.
This mini blog “Selling Books” is where I share things I learn on journeys marketing my books. Today I share what I’m learning on my life journey. Make a paper flower and give it away. Don’t wait for a special occasion to spend time together. Smile and laugh today. You don’t know what day will be the last someone will see you smile, or the last hour you can give someone your paper flower.
I hope the men in the Veterans Home in Barboursville enjoyed the books I left there for them. I hope they smiled. I’m enjoying the flower David Norton gave to me; it keeps a smile on my face. The memories of my dad enjoying life, laughing at paper flowers, visiting old veterans will keep a smile in my heart.