Lessons from My 98-year-old Dad: The Great Blue Whale, Part 1

by Marilynn Chadwick

"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps”

Psalm 148:7

It was Christmas Day and the entire family had gathered at our home. Our grandchildren gazed at their great grandfather with wonder as he unwrapped his special Christmas gift. We had just finished Christmas dinner and the children crowded around “Great Grandaddy” as he opened his present. What could it be? The mysterious gift was packaged in an unusual antique box that had to be at least as old as Harper Brame, their ninety-eight-year-old great grandfather, and my father.

Great Grandaddy still had his razor-sharp mind, a twinkle in his eye, and an easy laugh. Turns out the gift box had been the carrying case for an antique auto harp, a hand-held stringed instrument often used to accompany folk music. Our good friend George had stumbled upon this beautifully carved box in a mountain antique shop and realized it was the perfect box to contain his special, hand-crafted gift for my dad.

The dining room filled with gasps from children and grownups as my dad delicately unwrapped his gift. It was an exact replica of the USS Besugo, the US World War II era submarine Great Grandaddy had served on during the war. George, a more recent war veteran himself, had spent months painstakingly and lovingly assembling and painting the intricate model sub.

George was as excited to give the submarine as Daddy was to receive it. “Wow, I’ve never seen a real submarine before,” exclaimed little Joshua. “Tell us a submarine story, Great Grandaddy,” the children pleaded.

My Dad paused, carefully examining every inch of his new “toy.” His mind drifted back to an earlier time. He searched for a memory he thought the children would enjoy. As he told this story, other memories from his war years flooded back, leading to a collection of childhood stories, growing up years, and life lessons. Some are stories I remember him telling me in my childhood, but this story was not one I had heard before.

“Well, did I ever tell you about the time I saw the largest animal to live on the earth?” The children settled in, eager for the story. Great Grandaddy continued, “It happened one day when three of us sailors were standing lookout on our submarine deck. All of a sudden, our Captain cried out, “Y’all look ahead!” “There right in front of us was about the biggest thing I’d ever seen in my whole life...”

To be continued on Monday.