In eight days, my dad's birthday will be here. This month, specifically Feb. 23 is when we lost him. This month will mark nine years that my father passed away!
He was an indelible part in our lives and personally in mine. Being the youngest, I ended up being raised mostly by him in early childhood because he had retired while I was in third-fourth grade. This put me in a unique position because I received much of his life story, his time in Jamaica's army, his personal politics, his views on the world as well as his reading habits. Especially on his worldview and his reading.
My father was opinionated and vocally expressed his thoughts. This colored my sense of self as a storyteller. It also affected my writing on an almost cellular level, giving me strong political and social ideas at a young age.
When I write, I am in a place of sacredness. It took years to realize that once in the middle of creating, I honor my earthly father and what he left me. To be a scholar, to question always, not to take history for granted, or to let others take advantage of me. This February, I have much to accomplish. I have the ideas and questions that fuel a writer's spirit and keeps the inertia at bay.
Here is a link to the Memorial blog post for my Dad. I hope you will enjoy:
http://inprettyprint.blogspot.com/2012/02/kenneth-l-welsh-feb-12-1923-feb-23-2007.html
http://inprettyprint.blogspot.com/2012/02/kenneth-l-welsh-feb-12-1923-feb-23-2007.html
