A Very Perfect Gentle Knight

Chaucer, in Canterbury Tales, wrote of the perfect gentle knight and about his kind ways and perfect manners. My father was a 30-year naval officer who displayed many of the traits Chaucer attributed to his gentle knight. I always think of him as my gentle knight, perhaps not in shining armor, but in a snappy uniform, which he wore with pride and dignity.

Unlike many military officers, my father was always soft spoken. His soft voice was not to be confused as a weak voice. He meant what he said. When he said good night and lights out, that meant right now! Following his directions earned us his praise. Disobedience was not tolerated. He listened carefully. He listened for understanding, then spoke to be understood. He was very clear about what was expected, yet careful to consider other points of view.

Even with his very high standards, my father had great compassion for others. He found ways to be helpful, but wanted no praise for his deeds. I distinctly remember going with him with bags of groceries and leaving them at a church member's house. We just put the groceries on the back door steps and left. I learned later that family had fallen on hard times. He left groceries to help tide the family over for a few weeks.

I also remember a young enlisted man who had gotten in trouble and the military police turned him to my dad. Dad probably broke some rules that day, but he brought the young man home and let him use our shower to get cleaned up. He invited the man to join us for prayer and dinner, then took him off to the bus station to send him back to his duty assignment. He was patient and kind to the young man and spent time in encouraging conversation. I am sure the fellow went back to duty believing that some military officers were OK!

Most of Dad's duty assignments were aboard ships. He was gone for long stretches of time. His daily letters were the highlight of each day. We answered every one with notes about our activities and about how much we missed him. When he did come home, he was like a celebrity! The neighborhood kids loved to come and talk to him and participate in his teasing, conversations and news about his travels. He always had souvenirs and lots of information to share.

Dad treated our mother with love and respect. He was appreciative of all her efforts to keep his home nice and his kids educated and happy. She did a terrific job of maintaining him as the head of our household even though he was gone most of the time. We moved often, but friends were never hard to come by. Dad always taught us to be good neighbors and to be helpful to others. We never left a town without lots of new friends.

I love thinking about my father. He has been deceased for over 15 years now, but I still feel his powerful presence in my life. He was a wonderful person and I am so lucky that he was my dad.

Learn more about this author, Emily Joy White.
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