returned alive. My Uncle Harold re-upped and became a career soldier. He served at the Battle of the Bulge. He served during the Korean War. He gave his country over twenty years of service. When I was ten, in 1965, he returned to his mother’s (my grandmother’s) home, ending his military career as an officer. I have a vivid picture in my mind of him on that day: he wasn’t tall but he stood ramrod straight. He wore his Army dress uniform – the brass buttons sparkled and his battle ribbons and medals were numerous. I admired how he looked in that uniform: I was too young to be aware of how proud he was of his country and how proud I was of him. To me, he was every inch a hero. But he said nothing of his service. He just took off that beautiful uniform and hung it neatly in a closet, never to wear it or refer to it again. I would sneak peeks at that crisp jacket and imagine how I would look in it. But he never talked to me about what he did and saw while wearing it. He just went about his business. To this day, when he is long gone to his reward, I cannot imagine him saluting himself, in public or in private, or using his military service to ask others to give him something or vote for him.
He was chivalrous in the most generous and self-effacing way – he gave to his country and to the men he led without either expecting or wanting praise and thanks. He had the inner, self-satisfaction of duty. He led and lived by example.
Lesson:
I can hear my beloved stepfather, watching me at age 11 trying to cook, “You’re going too fast. Slow down and pay attention. You’ll always burn your eggs like that.” Sure enough, I didn’t get it right until I lowered the heat, let the egg come to room temperature before I cracked it, waited until the grease was hot enough, and took my time to handle the pan and spatula properly. He could have said nothing and let me learn by trial and error. He could have taken over and fried the egg for me. He could have admonished me that I was about to burn down the house! What he did was give me a patient, non-judgmental lesson, in a knowing but not condescending voice. On my journey whenever I fry an egg, I think of his advice.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
