June 16, 2013. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Norman Buckley.

Norman Buckley was my father and he was a good one.   Not every man who becomes a father ends up as a good one, but mine did, despite having no role model.   My father's father, Harry Buckley, was not a good father in many ways.   Despite having a lovely wife Alice, Harry drank too much which caused much grief to wife and family.  And one of my father's siblings, Stan, ended up in trouble with alcohol too, which also caused stress with family, especially his son, my cousin Ernest.

But my father joined the Salvation Army and became  a  non drinker of alcohol.  I have no recollection of why my father left his comfortable affluent life in Calgary to become a Salvation Army Officer but I suspect it had something to do with his father Harry.   My father was a butcher and owned his own butcher shop.  He wore a coon skin coat, played his trombone, with his Salvation Army hat at a rakish angle.  In pictures he can be seen wearing white socks.   In other words, he was not by nature a conformist, but he joined a military organization, where he was supposed to follow orders.

Fortunately, my father was a good natured soul, and often laughed at foolishness.   At officers Councils, Dad would often escape to take in a ball game.  His excuse was to say, "I have indigestion...  Spiritual Indigestion."  My mother was not pleased who had an easier time following  rules.   But she was not from Leister.   Unfortunately, my father died too young, at 62, from heart disease but he never really left us.   He believed that when he died, he was going home, but for his family,  he still lives on in our hearts and minds as a wonderful, kind father.   I was fortunate to have had such a father.