{"id":1043,"date":"2012-07-05T12:06:27","date_gmt":"2012-07-05T19:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1043"},"modified":"2012-07-05T12:15:22","modified_gmt":"2012-07-05T19:15:22","slug":"the-measure-of-a-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2012\/life\/the-measure-of-a-man\/","title":{"rendered":"The Measure of a Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my last post, I wrote of the incredible feat that Nik Wallenda<\/a> had accomplished when he became the first man to cross Niagara Falls. He was successful in fulfilling a childhood dream. His persistence and dedication are inspirational.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>My dad wasn\u2019t successful in that way but nonetheless, I do not see him as any less successful. He inspires me every day by the way he lived.<\/p>\n

My father, Peter Klewchuk, had lots of dreams and lots of talent. With his looks, and his charm, he could\u2019ve been a movie star. As he had a great voice and could play the violin by heart, he could\u2019ve been a successful musician. He was a master of chess, playing against the best in Manitoba, but it wasn\u2019t on any stage. It was at his kitchen table. He loved poetry and would quote it often, while parading from the kitchen to the living room, his arms extended, a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye and me, his audience. With his love for the written word, he could\u2019ve become an English instructor.<\/p>\n

He became none of the above. He dropped out of school before he finished grade 9 \u2013 long story. He had one tough job after the other, labouring in the quarry, laying train tracks, and during the time he was married, injecting brine into pork bellies in a meat packing plant.<\/p>\n

He was also a very honest man. He\u2019d say, \u201cThey call me Honest Pete, honest as the day is long.\u201d Given the economic collapse of many banking systems, I\u2019d venture to say it\u2019s a trait missing in much of business today. Even news is tampered with. Look at the disintegration of the Murdoch empire . And then there\u2019s the debacle of the Iraq war. All those innocent lives lost due to government\u2019s manipulation of the facts. Lies heaped upon more lies.<\/p>\n

Though he didn\u2019t achieve his dreams<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Poem In Dad’s Closet<\/p><\/div>\n

in work, he achieved his dreams with family. He succeeded in areas where many men fail. He was my father, the best there could be. He gave me my love of books and nature; he taught me how to swim and throw a ball. We used to dive for stones in the lake, laughing and spitting out water when we came up for air. He was also a great husband, and showed my mother respect and love for the 44 years they were together. He was her right hand, she was his left. And he loved the grandchildren, couldn\u2019t get enough of them. Family was what was important to him and he showed it every day. He worked hard, loved well, and passed his sweetness on.<\/p>\n

When he passed away, I found the poem IF<\/a>, by Rudyard Kipling<\/a>, rolled up in the corner of his closet. The poem describes my father to a T.\u00a0 He was \u201ca man, my son.\u201d I wish that kind of success on all young boys.<\/p>\n