REMEMBER…WE PROMISED DADDY

In honor of Father’s Day, I am posting this lesson from my beloved Daddy, David Westerman.

We were sitting on the attic steps, all three of us: me, my older sister and my younger brother. Dad was standing at the bottom of the stairs.  We were all listening to him with all of our attention, because we knew that what ever this was, it was VERY IMPORTANT.

Daddy didn’t usually act or speak to us with such seriousness and urgency.  He had demanded that we all sit on the stairs and listen very carefully to him. 

My father had been in World War Two, and he had lived through and experienced the terrible things that had happened because so many people were afraid to stand up to Hitler, because they were afraid for their own safety.

My father kept it very short and simple.

He simply said, “promise me, you have to promise me something and promise that you will teach this to your children.  If ever someone tells you that if you don’t kill somebody or hurt somebody else, YOU will be hurt, promise me that you will be brave and say NO.

I never want my children or my grandchildren to grow up to be like the people in the war.  Never hurt someone else in order to save yourself. 

We all promised.

Today, in our government and country, so many people are afraid. Afraid for their political futures, for their families, for their financial well being and even for their lives.  They are afraid to go against what they know is hurting others, but they are trying to keep themselves safe.

My father understood that as scary as as it is, it has to stop with somebody.  May that somebody be YOU.