My Father’s Gifts

“YOU don’t have to give me any gifts” that’s what my Dad told me more than a couple times.

But he gave me incredible memories. He built battleships during WWII. He worked himself to death giving our family a comfortable life. He was on the picket lines for civil rights in America.  He campaigned for Nelson Mandela’s freedom before most Americans recognized the name.

 Once for Christmas, Dad gave me a chemistry set, another time a log cabin set. He never bought me dolls.

He went to John Wayne movies but supported full rights for Native Americans, especially after Wounded Knee.

Everywhere Dad went, we went too (except for work). He organized family reunions. He gave us the gift of his time.

I still have his retirement watch, cufflinks, and a tie tack. That’s all the jewelry he and other men from the “Greatest Generation” ever wore.

I still have his pocketknife too.  One of the ivory inlay pieces came off a few years back.  I started to glue it back on, but I put it in my Jewelrystash instead.

Yesterday for some reason I was thinking about ivory.  I even looked at a couple of antique pieces of ivory jewelry on the internet.

Then this morning, it hit me:  Make a pendant out of those ivory inlay pieces from Dad’s pocketknife-maybe to look like dog tags. Yeah... because my father gave me the  gift of a fighting spirit.