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| JoAnne's Bookshelf |
| shaw family page |
When completed this page will link to the genealogical pages
for The Shaw Family
for The Shaw Family
| Shaw Family Page |
My Reference Library
I would like to share a letter I wrote to Dad in June 2007.
Dear Dad,
This morning, on one of the morning news programs, someone was talking
about a recent book they wrote, using letters received from people across
America, letters about what their fathers taught them, the core values and
all that. In thinking about all you taught me, I came up with the 4 which
have meant the most to me. They are the most remembered because you
lived them as well as taught them.
1. First, as far as I am concerned, you were one of the original
recyclers. I don’t think they had that word back then. I remember the
excitement of going to the dump, of looking for possibilities in well used
items. I remember Mom telling you not to bring back more than you were
taking. I remember the almost Christmas like wonder of looking for
possibilities in well used items. That lesson went beyond simple recycling. It
taught me to value the most unlikely looking items, to look beyond
appearances, to look for what something can be, rather than only what it
is, more than that, you taught me to use this same philosophy in every area
of my life.
2. You always valued the environment. I learned to feel closer to God
while sitting and waiting for a fish to bite, to admire His creations and value
my use of them. The particular lesson that I remember was to always leave
your camp site in better condition than you found it. Pick up your own trash
and some, if not all, of someone else’s. The additional lessons that this
taught me were an awareness of the importance of respect of God and
other people in developing self respect and that simple actions have large
consequences,
3. Related to number two was the wonder of God’s creations that you
showed me. From the salamander hiding under the fern beside a mountain
spring (which was the inspiration of Salamander Stew), to the baby quail
hiding under the leaves, to the skunk under the rice stalks (I never knew
you could bounce so high or so fast as you did that day), to the
nightcrawlers caught with a flashlight on the front lawn, the hidden secrets
of His creations. From the wonder of a sunrise over a beautiful lake, the
sound of song birds at dawn, the sight of beavers building their dam, I
learned the value of patience, of quiet awareness, of the many faces of
God.
4. You taught me the importance of allowing others their successes
when you told the little boy, who had just hooked the granddaddy rainbow
trout that everyone at the camp had been trying to catch, that he didn’t
need someone else to take his fishing pole, he could land that fish. I
watched him try, watched you encourage him and tell him how to do it. I
watched him begin to glow with the possibility that he was going to catch
that fish. I watched his father ruin it by grabbing the pole, and losing the
fish. And I saw that boy look at you with eyes that expressed his
disappointment, but also a glimmer of pride that he had tried his best and
might just have made it.
That incident taught me two things. One, my dad knew when to encourage
and teach rather than take over. Two, the way of the world is not always
perfect, but if you do your best you have done all God has asked of you.
So Dad, I thought I would share these memories with you this Father’s Day
and share the fact that as my parent/father you taught me so much about
our Father. God Bless you. I thank you and love you.
And I share these thoughts with all of you of the man who is my Dad.
JoAnne, Ed’s daughter
| William Edward Shaw - 03/19/1915 to 7/05/2009 |