Happy Father's Day: I Miss you, Dad

On this Father's Day I pay tribute to my late father, James P. "Jim" Duly, Sr., who was born in 1916 and passed away in 1983. Dad was the sixth child of eleven children, and he lived a hard life during hard times. He grew up during the Depression and served in the Army Infantry during World War II. Only Dad, three of his brothers, and one sister survived to adulthood.

My dad was an Irish-American who loved all things Irish, especially telling stories, arguing about politics, boxing, and drinking beer. On St. Patrick's Day he'd tip a few then show us his version of the Irish Jig. He liked to tell puns and sing off-color ditties that I didn't realize were off-color until I was an adult.  

The following is an excerpt of my essay, "A Just Man," which was published in 2012 in Life Lessons from Dad, published by Write Integrity Press.

While my father was no saint, he was a good dad who taught me important lessons which have served me well, and which I hope to pass along to my grandchildren. Among Dad’s life lessons are:
* Be proud of who you are. When Dad wasn’t in the Veteran’s hospital receiving treatment for a service-connected disability, he performed hard physical labor at a local refrigeration plant.  While small in stature, he was big on courage. He was proud of his country and never backed down from a fight.

* Get a good job. With a house full of kids, our folks couldn't afford to send us to college, so Dad urged us to get good-paying jobs with the government after we graduated from high school. My sisters Kathleen, Bridget, Glenda, and I took his advice. Ten days after high school graduation, I started working as a clerk-stenographer for the Army--which helped pay for night school courses and a college degree.

* Never stop learning. Dad had a curious mind and loved to read. One of my fondest childhood memories is of Dad reading the Sunday funnies to us. Dad’s thirst for knowledge and his love for words rubbed off on me.

So, today I remember my late father, James P. "Jim" Duly, Sr.

 

I admire Dad’s wit and wisdom, and his love for family, faith, and freedom. Dad taught me how to be proud of who I am, cherish my freedom, stay curious about the world and never stop learning.  

 

Today, in Dad's honor, I'll drink a beer and wish him "Cheers" in Irish: "Slainte!"

 

The Feast of St. Joseph, A Day to Remember My Dad

Today, March 19, is the feast of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, and a carpenter by trade.

While most people celebrate their dads on Father's Day in June --which I do as well--I also take time to think about my dad on March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph.

My late father was no saint--just ask anyone who knew him--but he taught me many life lessons. Among them are:

* Be proud of who you are. We were Irish-American Catholics and poor, but it didn't seem to matter. Dad was proud of his Irish heritage. Although he wasn't a big man, he never backed down from a fight--in fact, he probably started many--usually in a neighborhood tavern after a few Buds. (That's the not-being-a-saint part.)

* Be proud of your country: Dad was a decorated World War II Army Infantry soldier who served in the Pacific Theater. While he rarely talked about his time in the "Big War," he was very patriotic. He belonged to the Disabled American Veterans, and we flew the flag on our front porch, especially on patriotic days.

* Know your tools: Like St. Joseph, my dad worked with his hands. He was a carpenter and an enamel sparyer by trade. At home, he liked to tinker and fix things. When he did, he sent one of us kids to fetch him a tool. But Dad's tool box was sacred; no one got to open the lid unless Dad sent us to get something for him. When I got married, my husband was surprised that I knew the difference between a phillips and a flathead screwdriver.

* Fall in love with words: Every day Dad worked the crossword puzzle, the word jumble, and the crypto-quip. His love for playing with words rubbed off on me. Dad also loved to read, especially the newspapers. We subscribed to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the now-defunct Globe Democrat (his favorite), and Dad read them from cover-to-cover, except maybe the ads. We never got to touch the paper until Dad finished reading it. When we were little, Dad read the Sunday funnies to us. His favorites were Dagwood, Little Lulu, and of course Beetle Bailey.

* Get a good government job. With a house full of kids, our folks couldn't afford to send us to college, so Dad urged us to get jobs working for the government. My sisters Kathleen, Bridget, Glenda, and I all did just that. I started working as a clerk-stenographer for the Army ten days after high school graduation--which helped me pay for night school and a college degree. 

So, today I'm taking time to remember my dad, James P. Duly, Sr. In fact, this evening at supper time I might just tip a little brown bottle of Bud in his memory. Here's to you, Dad!

Welcome and Summer Giveaways of Books and Cool Stuff

It's been a month since I've welcomed my visitors who have signed up as followers on Donna's Book Pub. Please join me in welcoming the followers who joined last month. I hope they come back often and stay long. Please visit their blogs or websites when you get a chance.

Mari L. McCarthy

Debra Mayhew

Gypsywoman

Kati Mar

Grandma Yellow Hair

Sheree Nielsen

Nothing says summer like sun, the beach--and books!

My friends from the Book Report Network, including Bookreporter.com, Teenreads and Kidsreads have lots of contests and giveaways going on this summer. I wish I could enter, but I can't because I am a reviewer for their sites. But you can--and maybe you'll be a lucky winner!

For a chance to win some great summer books, Bookreporter.com has a Summer Reading Contest and Feature where they spotlight a different title or two on select days through July 27.

Bookreporter's Father's Day's Contest is going on until June 13. Readers have a chance to win one of five Bookreporter.com Father's Day Backpacks. Each hunter green backpack is filled with a copy of seven featured titles, along with a red-striped beach towel and a pack of Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Teenreads.com has their annual Beach Bag of Books giveaway goin on until July 18. Five winners each will receive a beach bag with 16 books. Along with the books, winners will find their striped canvas beach bag stocked with an assortment of summer goodies: a blue polka-dot beach towel, a Mega Fling Toss Game, a deck of invisible cards, an inflatable beach ball, Coppertone Sport Sunblock, H2O+ Mineral Spa Shower Gel, Crystal Light Drink Mix, a metallic sports bottle to keep your drink cool, and a terrific cap that turns any can into a bottle to prevent sand and bees from finding their way into your drink.

And check out Kidsreads.com for their first Bunch of Books Giveaway to win four special books before June 15.

Wow! That's a lot of great books and fun prizes you can win. Good luck to everyone who enters. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Father's Day Books for Dad from Bookreporter and 10 Reasons I Like June

While the lovely month of May gets lots of praise in "The Sound of Music," June is one of my favorite months. Here are 10 reasons I like June:

End of school
Summer vacation
Baseball
Nice weather
Flowers in bloom
My birthday
All Saints parish picnic
Flag Day
First day of summer
Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, from now until June 14 my friends over at Bookreporter.com are giving away a cooler filled with goodies Dads will love, along with 12 very special books (retail value $400). Titles include the last book in the popular Stieg Larrson trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. Click here to see the gorgeous book covers and titles, along with complete instructions for entering the contest. Good luck!

What are some of your favorite things about the month of June?