A line of David's

I am one of those people who had to give their children names that meant something......that had a connection to something or someone.

It drove Allan crazy when we were choosing names.

When we found out we were having a boy it didn't take us long to land on naming him after his Dad and his Grandpa's

David Allan Wray Byres.

It meant we had two David's in our immediate family and while that has sometimes lead to one of them opening the wrong Christmas present under the tree, it has mostly not been as issue as Papa is Papa or Dad and David is......David :)

I love that they have that connection.  I love how my Dad is a man we would love our son to be like.  In some funny ways they are alike already in ways other than their name.

When David was 18 months old we joined our church Emmanuel Christian Community.  A place we hoped would be a loving community for our kids to grow up in.

We were delighted to meet two wonderful David's there.  They were both close in age to my Dad which led David to declaring, at about 3 years old, that "There are 3 Papa Davids at church".

Both those church David's acknowledged and connected with our David.

The first David F was a long-time barber in Steveston village and gave David his first proper hair cut - sitting on a plank of wood across the barbers chair so he was high enough.  Our David loved Dave the Barber.....never once fussing about a haircut.  Dave the Barber was always so warm and loving with David and always had a post haircut treat as well as a hug.  It was hard when Dave the Barber got ill and closed his shop and harder still when he went to Heaven a couple of years ago.  David wept and we comforted him that He and Dave the Barber will meet again one day.

David D was the other church David.  He sometimes appeared a little tough, with a deep gravelly voice until he smiled and his whole face and his twinkling eyes let you know there was a big, soft heart under a gruff exterior.  This David always said "Hello Young David" to our boy and mussed his hair or gave him a shoulder squeeze.  A straight-talking, no-nonsense man who said what he felt with meaning and tenderness.  This David went to heaven two weeks ago after a courageous battle.

Today I am feeling grateful for all these David's in my life,  for what they have taught and still teach me, for the strand of integrity and faith and perseverance and love they all share. 

I am grateful for men who are great role models for my son.

I miss David F and David D who I like to imagine just had a great reunion in Heaven and are  swapping stories of the many great adventures they each had on earth.

I love my Dad David and my son David with whom I am counting on having many more adventures in the months and years ahead.