“Harold just loved the farm. When we lived up at Southey, every free weekend we’d jump in the car and drive back. His excitement was so obvious - because the closer we’d get to the farm, the faster we’d go.” - Lois
The Faster We'd Go A Depiction of Harold Dynna 11x14" Canvas with Dark Columbia Blend | Generous Coffee Co.
I was mere months away from meeting this man. He passed away in 2003, after years of surviving aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Stories about him make my heart race, his legacy is larger than life. I’ve been told that he would give you the shirt off his back, and on more than one occasion he nearly did just that. ‘Like two sparrows in a hurricane’, through loss of every kind, he held up faith and joy with Lois by his side.
An inventor, a dreamer, a bold voice for love.
I'm blushing a little bit trying to think of how to word it - but every photo I see of this man, I just LOVE. I don't mean to sound over-the-top and definitely not superstitious; I guess I just see so much of my own husband. Daniel does physically look a lot like him; maybe that explains more of the spark that I see in his eyes. Despite grainy, old black and white photographs, I can easily sense the extremely driven, passionate person that he was. I have felt many times that I am highly-favored... having his tender-hearted, compassionate grandson as my husband. Daniel inherited much more than his Grandpa's physical characteristics, and I could really count a high number of blessings from that lineage.
Oh, here I am gushing!! Well, as some of you may know, I am a volunteer ambassador for a coffee brand that I love - Generous Coffee. You can just imagine why I thought the subject here and the medium belonged together. This month, the for-purpose company challenged us to post about the most generous person we know. This is no easy task - especially crowning one person with this title is almost impossible for me. I enjoy multiple examples of selfless-givers, on all sides of my family and in my community. A large number of them, though... are the ripple-effect of this man's life. Each of his children are very strong contenders to be named as most generous.
And so, even though I never met him physically, I know that I continually meet his generosity.
With gratitude, I leave you with this short obituary I found.
"Harold was born and raised in the district of Southey, SK one of nine children who grew up on the farm. He worked and played hard having a great zest for life. Early in life he had a great love of farming, welding, hockey, softball, music and most of all singing and preaching of God's word. Many people found in him, 'the someone' who was patient and kind, always ready to listen and pray, with understanding and love. Harold was greatly loved by his family... he was, to his wife, a loving husband and precious friend; to his children, a close friend and caring and loving father."
Artfully yours,
Lauren