We watched a wonderful children’s movie last night set in WWII Scotland near Loch Ness. It’s a fanciful tale from a young boy’s view as his father’s away in the military, a way of coping with the loneliness and fear.
The young boy found an odd looking item along the edge of the loch and, according to the tale, as told by the grown up version of that boy, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster is told as the Water Horse developed from nearly a tad pole sized creature into a full blown wonder to behold. The story is of the relationships garnered with all around him; but mostly between the boy and his Water Horse friend.
Instead of growing up with a father, the young boy grew up with the help of the Water Horse more commonly known as the Loch Ness Monster; taking him past his fears and into an acceptance of how things are with the war going on. Near the end of the movie the young boy accepts the likely hood that his father might not return, all those thoughts being tied with the escape of the Water Horse from the loch and out to sea while the shore guns fired on thinking it to be a German submarine. “He might not come back” and if you’re not paying attention you might think he was simply referring to the Water Horse making it to the open sea.
There was a talk given in General Conference a couple of years back, which I cannot find, having exhausted the search engines at LDS.org for hours, where at the end of WWII the father of the house returns home. The older children all shout with joy, “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!” and the youngest boy who had never known his father since the war separated them soon after being born was shouting along with his older brothers and sisters, “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home! What’s a Daddy?” I hope my memory of those lines is close enough, not having the talk in front of me.
I had to wonder in my own heart as the words came to my ears, how it must have been growing up without the constant care and love of a father, one who was serving his country in time of war. I was lucky, my dad served and came home, then I was born. I still get to talk with him on the telephone; that is, when he’s not out bowling with his buddies. “Bowl a hundred!”; that’s my way of saying, “I love you”.
As we celebrate Veteran’s Day take a moment to appreciate the sacrifices made which might otherwise slide under the radar, time spent away from young children who miss their Daddy.
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