A Veterans Day Salute to My Hero

Daddy, you were the first man I knew
I learned so many things from you
How to swim and ride a bike alone
And the proper way to answer our phone.


When I was young, you went far away
To serve your country while we played
I didn't know then what it really meant
When to Vietnam you were sent.


From far away, you kept in touch with us all
While doing your duty and standing tall
Helping a people we never knew
As all of your children older grew.




You sent letters and cards to your girls and boys
With words of encouragement instead of toys
Telling us how to live and to grow
To learn the things we needed to know.


When you returned home, you took your spot
As head of the family, teaching us a lot
Taking us here and taking us there
Leading kids and Boy Scouts everywhere.

You answered whatever questions we asked of you
With things to remember that we knew were true
You showed us how to grow up strong and tall
To be men and women who helped one and all.

On this Veterans Day, I want you to know
I appreciate the ways you taught me to grow
Although I didn't always thank you back then
Now I know better and I thank you again.


You're no longer with us, yet you're still here
On this day and every day of the year
Watching and guiding with love in your heart
Until we're together again, nevermore to part.


Thanks for the gifts of your wisdom and words
Now we remember those things that we heard
Repeating them now that we are grown
Teaching the kids we now call our own.

Your 90 years passed so quickly
To us, it still seems like a blur
Your Scouts called you The Colonel
And your soldiers called you sir.



To us, you were Daddy, back then and still now
The man we looked up to, you showed us how
To live our lives in service to others
To respect and to love, especially our mother.


Thanks so much, I am so proud to call you Dad
The man I looked up to, even when I got mad
For those who you helped and those who you saved
For the lessons you taught and the words that you gave.



As we honor and remember veterans everywhere
I gaze toward Heaven and offer this prayer
Thank God for Daddy, my hero I'll never forget
A soldier among soldiers, a vet among vets.

-- Sandy Wallace, proud daughter of Colonel Robert A. Atkins, Sr. US Army Retired
Veterans Day 2015, adapted from my poem "On Ode to Dad: My Hero" written June 4, 2012

To My Dad, My Hero

I miss you every day, Dad
But today's a special day
A year ago today you left this earth
Following Mom along Heaven's way

You taught us many lessons
By the way you lived your life
About courage and love and duty
Helping others and dealing with strife.

You answered freedom's call like many others
Although you were just a young man
Bravely walking into the face of danger
Always ready with a plan.

In World War II, Korea and Vietnam
Your country you proudly served
Fighting for the rights of others
And for freedom to be preserved.

Kids don't know much about heroes
Or why dads do the things they do
But any kid can tell you
A Dad's love is always true.

You taught us about love of family
And to look out for each other
But whenever we asked for anything
You told us, "Go ask your mother."

Your love for Mom ran deep
More deep than we could know
As she slipped away into God's embrace
You knew it was your time to go.

On Father's Day I thank you
For gifts of life, courage, strength and love
As you celebrate in Heaven
My special angel up above.

Dad, save a place for me up there
Put in a good word for me too
Someday I'll be singing "Almost Home"
As I prepare to join God, Mom and you.

I remember precious memories
You're always in my heart
Someday we'll be together again
Though for today, we are apart.

You set an example of family life
And taught me what to do
To raise my kids to be good people
Who help others - just like you.

Thanks for everything, Daddy
Your love and the lessons too
I'll hold you always deep in my heart
And strive to be just like you.

Loved and missed always, but forever in my heart
XOXOXO
Love, Ciss

Happy First Birthday in Heaven, Dad!

Happy First Birthday in Heaven, Dad!

Today's your special day

We remember past birthdays here on earth

Celebrations with balloons, cake and ice cream

You had the strength to fight for your country

And to uphold freedom for the oppressed

You also had the tenderness and love

To show your family that you cared

Raised in a family of brothers

You rose to the challenge

Of helping raise daughters and sons

In places near and far

Our father, our Daddy, our hero

Words can't begin to say

What you meant to all of us

The family who celebrate you today

We grew from little boys and girls

To adults who understand

That all of our days are numbered

As we embrace precious memories

As your days on earth faded away

We gathered close to you

From your courage

We drew our strength

As you travel Heaven's pathways

To places we can't see

We proceed to trek along

Holding you always in our hearts

We'll celebrate your special day

With cake and ice cream too

As all of us hold close

Cherished memories of you

Your last birthday on earth

Was marred by sadness and tears

But now you and Mom are together

Eternally celebrating through the years

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Loved and missed always

In God's eternal embrace

And always in our hearts. 

- With love from your family

Thanksgiving Through Tears: The First Year of Grief

Holidays were always special in our family. I'm so grateful that my parents gave us so many precious holiday memories as I face the first year of holidays without Mom and Dad.

Although I married and moved out of state when I was only 17, I have many happy memories of childhood Thanksgivings, where Dad spent the day in the kitchen. Mom made our everyday dinners, but Dad was the extraordinaire holiday chef in our family.

Because of work and school schedules, I didn't ever come home for Thanksgiving after I moved to Virginia. Instead, I recreated an Atkins family Thanksgiving for my kids each year. Thanks to my oldest sister, Sue, I have this photo of Dad carving the turkey at a family Thanksgiving celebration.

Whenever I count my blessings, God and family are at the top of the list. We made these gratitude leaves to decorate our Thanksgiving table last year, letting the grandkids write their own. One of the gratitude leaves I made says, "Parents and siblings," among my greatest blessings in life.

In previous years, we also made gratitude turkeys and gratitude trees. For many years, we've each shared something for which we are grateful as our Thanksgiving prayer before the meal.

Life is filled with blessings. From the food we eat to the God we praise, we have so many reasons to celebrate and give thanks every day, not just on a single day filled with turkey and all the fixings.

On this first Thanksgiving without Mom and Dad, I'm grateful that I have a four-generation photo of Mom and Dad with me, Jenny and my grandson Kyle, Mom and Dad's first great-grandchild. Our memories are precious, but photos are an extra bonus.

I'm also grateful to have photos from back in the day of each of my kids with Mom and Dad. In this photo, Jenny and Dad are playing with little people while Mom sits on one of our family's high chairs in the background.

Mom hid her face from the camera, but some of my older photos caught Mom off-guard, like this photo of Mom helping Jenny walk on the windowsill at the Kansas City Airport.

On one of our many visits to Worlds of Fun, I took this photo of Lauren driving Mom in a funny car. Mom didn't ride too many of the rides, but she always enjoyed riding in these cars.

I have farewell photos from many of our visits back home, including this one when Jenny and Lauren were teens. Spending time at Mom and Dad's house will always be a precious memory to me.

Family meant so much to Mom and she passed that sentiment on to all of us. Family gatherings are one of my favorite things in life. Whether it's just me, Kenny and the kids or our extended family, I love spending time with family.

The best thing about memories is that nothing can take them away from us. Even though I'll never see Mom on her front porch again, I'll always remember how happy it made her to sit there, watching the world go by in her corner of the world.

Jack was Mom and Dad's second grandson, born just a few years after his cousin Chris. Although Dad loved all of his grandkids, he always enjoyed spending time with his grandsons.

Dad often made funny faces for the camera, just like Jack does. Maybe it's genetic or just a guy thing, but photos like this one of Dad make me laugh.

As I gather for Thanksgiving with my children and grandchildren this year, I'll feel the presence of Mom and Dad everywhere. From the joy of holidays that Mom exuded to the day spent cooking that reminds me of Dad, I know they'll be there with me as I give thanks.

Mom and Dad and all of our beloved loved ones who have passed before us are with us always in our hearts and in our memories. Nothing can take that away.

One of Mom's favorite sayings was, "This too shall pass" and I know it's true. The first year will be the hardest year for all of us. The pain of Mom and Dad's deaths is still so deep and raw. Although we'll always miss them and the pain of their loss will always be there, the depth of the pain will lessen over time.

 
One of my favorite sayings is, "Life goes on and life is good." Although there's a deep sadness in my heart as I face the holidays without my parents, I choose joy. Life is good and God has blessed me with so many gifts. I will always be grateful for the gifts, especially the wonderful gift of family.

May your family be richly blessed, at Thanksgiving and always. Blogging Grandma Sandy, signing off for now.