On a recent work trip, I had the good fortune to drive along one of the most picturesque and rugged highways I’ve ever had the pleasure to travel: The Crowsnest Trail. I traveled the famous #3 from Hope in the west of BC all the way to Cranbrook nearing the Alberta border. This stretch of highway winds through steep mountain passes fresh with the smell of cedar and blazing hot deserts ripe with the scent of burnt sage brush. Along the way you will find old relics like the John Deere tractor above dotting the side of the road, evidence of cherished work horse, well used. I stopped many times to take a quick photo as I know my Dad back home would love seeing these long forgotten treasures. He would be able to name the make, model and even year it was built. Oh what stories these old trusted friends could tell!

Robert Fulghum, who wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, shares what is known as The Storyteller’s Creed. It goes like this:

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe love is stronger than death.”

On this Father’s Day I am thinking of my Dad, Jack, who is the master storyteller. He refers to his stories as “yarns” and shares them liberally with anyone within earshot or who looks like they need a smile or a chuckle. He understands, like Robert Fulghum, that stories have the power to inspire, to teach, and most importantly, to cheer us up when times get tough. They also have the power to transcend life. To be a legacy left behind to remind us that we have been loved and appreciated beyond words. In the past few months as my Dad has struggled with the final few pages of a life full of amazing stories, he has felt compelled to share as many of his yarns as possible, hoping that we, his listeners, will remember them in times of need. Simple stories of the joys of farming, sweet memories of “courting” Mum, humorous tales of a life filled with crazy red heads, and thoughtful, heartfelt stories of lessons learned across a lifetime of joys and sorrows.

Dad, we will remember! We promise. And I love you! Happy Father’s Day.