MAE JULIAN
Father’s Day has come and gone, and I am left with a deep, vacant, sad place where my dad dwells. He has been gone for so long, now, and I sometimes think of him and wish I had just one more day of my life to spend with him. As I have mentioned to you before, he was a Waynedale Fireman. That was his volunteer job. He also worked at Dana Corp. That was his paying job. But, for us kids, I think we saw him mostly as a fireman. A lot of the men in our lives were firemen. It seems like they were the backbone of Waynedale, and were our first heroes.
I didn’t get home for the Memorial Day Parade this year, but I well remember all the kids piled on the fire truck many years ago, that was part of the parade. We felt on top of the world. Important. Our dads were the greatest. It seems that every holiday that went by, the firemen had a part in it. They were a generous lot, and they taught us the spirit of giving, helping, and volunteering. Most of them are gone, now, and live only in our memories. Yet, what they gave to us will always be cherished.
The many success stories of the kids that came out of Waynedale are amazing to me, even to this day. They taught us independence, taking responsibility for our actions, helping our neighbors, and having charitable hearts. If they had only known that those early lessons would be carried with us for the rest of our lives. They were humble men, who didn’t see themselves as terribly important, but they would be the most important figures in our young lives.
So, a bit late this year, I want to say Happy Father’s Day to all the Waynedale dads, and to all the firemen. You are so important, not just because you fight fires, or do rescue work, but because you carve out a place in the lives of kids that is held forever dear. You set the example that young lives copy and emulate.
Thanks for everything you do, both big and small, every day. God bless the firefighters.
Mae Julian
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