Learning to Carry On

For this week's blog posting, I am opening with my father's words about the uniqueness of the birthdays of his father, his brother just two years younger than him, and my dad. This week will mark these three birthdays and one tragic death. I concluded this week's post with a piece entitled Learning to Carry On and published along with other tributes to Oklahoma fathers in the June 2009 issue of Oklahoma Living feature entitled Fathers: A Tribute.

Papa’s birthday was June 16^th.  I was born on June 15 in 1919, so Papa named me after himself.  Two years later another boy was born exactly on Papa’s birthday.  Frederick was born on June 16, 1921.  The three of us always celebrated our birthdays together on June 16. By Edmund Gates, Jr. as told to Bernadean Gates   

Gates children just a couple of years before the 
Great Depression struck - Mary, Ella, Frederick,
Edmund, Jr., with Martha in front of him, & Jess,  

The day following Dad’s 16^th birthday, my father’s brother, Frederick, was struck and killed by lightning. Who would ever imagine this 14-year-old lovingly called “Freddie” by his family would be killed instantly on his birthday? Dad learned to deal with loss, to grieve, and “pick up the pieces and go on.”

Dad enlisted in the Army Air Corps eight days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He flew 25 missions over Europe as an upper turret gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress. After completing his combat duty and being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, his crew was shot down over Berlin, killing some of his closest buddies. Instead of allowing the devastation of war to destroy him, Dad used it as motivation to become the best carpenter, husband, and father that he could be. He viewed his survival of the war as an incredible gift and his experiences as precious memories with valuable lessons.

Sometimes when I become weary of the stresses and responsibilities in life, I recall the life-altering situations that Dad experienced and how he thrived in spite of them. That very thought spurs me to a life of faith, courage, and resolve to live a life worthy of being called his daughter.

As I concluded meshing these two writings together, I thought of the powerful result of living out Paul's writing as read in Romans 5:3-5. How God uses this progressive sequence to lead us to do hard things.

...We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

To view a cherished photo of one of the last birthdays of Grandpa Edmund Gates, Sr. access at the link below:
https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/06/singing-on-grandpas-birthday.html