It's hard to believe that my dad turned 89 three days ago. The photo was taken when we went to Disneyland for their 50Th year anniversary. We were there 50 years ago during their first week. Lots of changes to the park and even more changes to us. Both my sisters are squatting down so they don't tower over their big sister. As I was talking to my dad this afternoon he was recounting many of the things in his life that, at the time, seemed to be negative events but now has come to see them as blessings. During WW2 he was an officer and he and his men were sent to the South Pacific not Normandy. Not to fight but to unload ships. He had been a fireman before the war and went back to the fire dept. He was a fireman for over 20 years with the Los Angeles Fire Dept. During that time there were only two fire stations that housed black fire fighters with no possibility of promotion unless someone in your station died. So he used the GI bill to go to law school. The fire dept. was integrated during the last four years of his career and because the other firemen in the now integrated fire station would not eat with him he had the kitchen/dining room to himself where he studied for the bar exam, passed the bar and became an attorney. When the Fire Dept. was sued for their integration practices guess who was called as the chief witness? Dad! He just got back from National Black Firefighters Association convention in Atlanta where he met over 200 fire chiefs, battalion chiefs and as he puts it chief chiefs. All because of what he and his men went through. I knew most of his friends/brothers on the fire dept. Although most of them are gone they will never be forgotten. If you are ever in Los Angeles go visit the Black Firefighters museum, he is still there Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday giving tours, telling the story, reminding us all that we are all needed to do the work. The things that happen in our lives that we sometimes think are curses can be turned into a blessing. Bless you Daddy and Happy Fathers Days.
