Honoring My Dad – Randell Stansfield

Randell Stansfield Tribute

Happy Birthday Dad!! I love you so much and am SOO proud to be the your daughter!  My whole life, I have been so proud to tell people that Randell Stansfield is my dad!   In my childhood papers I found a letter you wrote to us on one of your missions from the 82nd Airborne.  I have always assumed that this was written when you were called to fight in Grenada and was something you wrote to us in case you didn’t come home.

Here is what you wrote.  I am not sure if this is the whole letter or if this is the second page of a letter but it is all I have.

“I believe that when you depart the earth it is important that the scales of good weigh heavily in your favor. Too often people have said unkind things to us because we have so many children.  They say you will be a drain on society.  I want you to be sure that never happens.  Not only in money or being on welfare, but by making life better for others around you.  Too many people make their contribution to society only by not draining away from others.  Instead, the greatest contributions are through the love and beauty that you spread.

“Anyone can make the basic outline, it is up to those with love in their hearts to fill in the colors.  ’Make the world a better place by smiling all the day’.  Live your life as you know is right.  Stay close to the church and each other.  Remember your father loved you and tried his best to teach you love.  Be strong, be firm, be honest, be faithful.

With love, waiting for you,
Your Dad”

Dad – for your birthday, the present I have is the life I have lived so far.  I have tried my whole life to fill in the outline with the colors of love and to stay true and faithful to the things you taught me and to the family.

I have tried to live as I have seen you live.  Being hard to offend and being quick to forgive.  Being happy and enjoying life as it comes – one day and one adventure at a time.

I have tried to live the counsel you have given me.

“The greatest source of unhappiness is giving up what you want most for what you want now.”

“Life is easy if you do the difficult things.  Life is difficult if you only do the easy things.”

“You just can’t allow yourself to feel that way.”

“If you are right, you have no need to be angry.  If you are wrong, you have no right to be angry.”

“Just be a good person.”

I believe that much of this wisdom is written in my heart forever and I hope to live up to it and to the example you have always set for me.

I also think “and there’s the Jace” and “there’s the old lady” whenever someone plays a Jack or a Queen in a game of cards.

Dad, you are the best father a daughter could ever have.  You have loved me perfectly and many times I can imagine exactly what you would say if I were to come to you for counsel, for comfort, or for companionship.

I love you Dad so much.  I wish I was there for your birthday.  I know that whatever we would do today would be fun and there would be a lot of laughter.

I love you Dad with all my heart.  Thank you for the letter of counsel you wrote to us so many, many years ago.  I hope you are happy with who I have become and that my life to this point has been a fitting tribute to the great dad that you have always been to me.

Love,
Mindy