For the introduction to the Lessons From My Father Series – Click Here

Walk on the Roadside – Part 1

“Chivalry!—why, maiden, she is the nurse of pure and high affection—the stay of the oppressed, the redresser of grievances, the curb of the power of the tyrant —Nobility were but an empty name without her, and liberty finds the best protection in her lance and her sword.” – Sir Walter Scott

It was probably just a routine walk from home to another perennial school event.  You know, the kind of event that drags reluctant parents to their kids’ elementary school to see bizarre pipe-cleaner collages hanging on the walls or to “oooh” and “aaah” over science projects that were mostly completed by coerced parents.  It might have been just an evening walk for the family around the block, although those kinds of walks were rare.  I really don’t even remember the reason we took the stroll.  All that remains of that memory is a shadowy image floating in my mind of my sister, my parents and me on a dark night Continue reading →