So, Valentine's month and the Friendship Series couldn't end without a crazy love story but not just any love story.
In honor of my dad who, 20 years ago this week passed away into eternity to his eternal reward , Hubert has a love story that is worth telling.
Forward Friday ends off the Friendship Files Month with an incredible love story. I believe this story encourages the human spirit. This story is what the love of 2 people can become even when there are miles of water that seem to separate the possibilities of the life dreamed of. And as always, there is Good News Medicine at the End!
Let's Get Into This!!
My Dad, Hubert Mills was and will always be an all-star to me. The things I learned from him, the subtlety of his thinking, his wisdom and insight that was in many ways unapparelled and ahead of his time will always stick with me.
They remain great guideposts in my life.
This love story unfortunately didn't come fully alive until after he passed away 20 years ago this week coming in a long conversation with my mom on the way home from a doctor's appointment.
So Here Is Some Of What She Told Me.
Dad had a dream to become a minister so he decided to come to Toronto, Ontario in 1949 to fulfill his dream.
Dad was already a master carpenter but he had dreams to fulfill.
It was while he was in school that there was a grand master plan of match making that was about to take place.
Dad's roommate had a sister in Montreal and mom was friends with her and her soon to be boyfriend.
The Montreal team started telling mom about this dashing young man from Bermuda in school in Toronto while his roommate started telling dad about this beauty in Montreal.
The plan unfolded for a Blind date in Belleville, Ontario during the youth convention in the spring of 1951.
The place was this Chicken Rotisserie joint in Belleville......And they met for the first time.
Dad would say that this didn't happen but eye witnesses reported that dad was so nervous that he dropped the chicken leg on his lap!!!
But mom must have liked something about this dashing man from Bermuda because after they both departed for Peterborough and Montreal, they began a letter romance of 2 years. Mom said that they probably talked on the phone a totals of 6 to 8 times in 2 years but it was the letters that captivated her heart.
Mom said that they probably talked on the phone a totals of 6 to 8 times in 2 years but it was the letters that captivated her heart.
Dad came back to Montreal in late fall of 53 and they were married on December 19th.
Mom said that for about 6 months, they did a fair bit of travelling.
They went to New York by train twice, traveled around Quebec, went to Toronto and just enjoyed the new found time together.
In the spring of 54, they moved to Bermuda to begin their life together in dad's homeland, the place they call "The Rock!"
It wasn't always easy being the outsider but dad had made his choice and mom, over time won the hearts over and became a favorite on the island.
I would always hear stories of Hubert and Bea, Bea and Hubert growing up from the cousins and my parents friends as they were the original Team Mills!! Canadian/Bermudian flair!
When my grandfather passed away in 1963, mom and dad came back for the funeral and to close the estate but it took so long that they ended up staying and growing their roots here in Montreal.
Keith came along a year later and the adventure continued.
Their love and care for people was evident and I don't think they could have pulled it off loving people as much as they did if they weren't in synch with each other as they were.
Our house was the neighborhood house; from dad having the winter front yard hockey rink to mom's treats and hugs, the neighborhood kids always found their way to the Mills house.
I think I learned some valuable lessons from my parents that I didn't even consider I was learning growing up.
Even when things aren't easy, never give up on each other; they had some rough patches but they dug in to figure things out and we were better off for it.
It's interesting; when dad was in failing health and after he passed away, mom would never talk about the rough patches; mom talked about all the good times and moments she spent with dad.
Mom would talk about the early days in Montreal before they moved to Bermuda; the days in Bermuda where dad made her feel like she was the queen of his life even when at first there was some opposition to their union.
All of the good days sharing and doing life with him as they were raising us, and talking about all the later in years life that they spent together.
We had it real good, more than we could have ever imagined and while we didn't grow up with all the material things, we had everything we needed because of dad and mom.
Speaking Of Dad, He Was Something Else.
Dad was a mischievous guy too... He'd drive mom crazy with pranks all the time. Remember those rubber alligators? He had a few around the house and when mom would nod off in the lazy boy, he'd put it on her shoulder and tell her something was on her shoulder. Of course, you know it, mom jumped 10 feet and dad would howl.
He could have almost burned the house down with one prank. Let's just say, rolling up a newspaper, lighting it and then waving it in mom's face was not the most all time great idea, especially when she woke up in a fright, knocked the lit paper on to the carpet!!
We had a 2 plus foot gash in the carpet and you guessed it, we never let him forget it but he laughed and laughed. Dad could laugh and have some fun!
Good Medicine Moments
Probably more than anything, I'm so glad and grateful that dad was a godly man. Not a perfect man but a godly one.
I think of how fortunate we were to see him in his life, warts and all but he had a bedrock faith, deep devotion that was contagious. He showed sacrifice, love, concern, hope, was a prayerful man, had the courage to hold to his convictions without compromise.
When I think of the legacy of my dad, he was these things and so much more but I'll leave with these final thoughts.
Although he was my Dad, he was also my friend, not a buddy, but a true genuine friend and that grew as I got older. Loved to ask him stuff and he showed me in word and deed that Jesus could and would be my friend if I made that choice. Thankful....
Dad was definitely an authority in my life and helped to direct my steps and mold me into the person God wanted me to be. And by his example, I could see and come to understand that God is the final author of my life. The Bible says He is the author and finisher of my life.
Dad was Truthful; we never had reason to doubt his word or world. I would ask him for advice and I knew he would always tell me the truth.
And by his example, I learned that there is one who is the absolute Truth and that one is Jesus – and then found out for myself. I found that the Good book is truth; it can be trusted and we need never doubt what He tells us.
Dad was my hero!! He could do no wrong or most of the time.
I could run to my dad and talk it out. He protected me and surrounded me with his love giving me strength to go on. He always encouraged me to do right. He was there for me whenever I needed him. Dad also showed me that Jesus too could be my hero, my protector, my strength, my hiding place. He never leaves me nor forsakes me.
I saw how he loved my mom through thick and thin; he expected that we would be true blue to whomever would be the one to touch our heart for a lifetime.. and we saw it in real time, all the time.
Dad was my Encourager. He always encouraged me to do right even when it wasn't convenient.
He was diligent to encourage me in following God for myself and showed me that Jesus was/is the best encourager.
If I am depressed, discouraged, in a tough situation, . . . I can go to His Good Book anytime and find the encouragement I need.
Dad Was A Rock For Me! He stood firm in what he believed and I felt safe letting that rock hold me up. What a blessed legacy that is! Dad also showed me that Jesus is my eternal Rock on which I can always feel safe and secure, even more secure than Dad's legacy.
So 20 years later, I still miss the talks, the banter, the ideas, the jokes, the wisdom of a high school/bible college grad but his legacy is firmly entrenched in my life and I also believe in the lives of others!
I'm very proud and honored that part of my legacy is etched in a love story that began with chicken in the lap, letters over the sea, a union of epic proportions, love for a lifetime!
Funny, so many things make sense now that I have a little more perspective on the man they call Hubert! And that a crazy love story is part of my family history!
Loving this Crazy Love Story
Dave
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