Losing someone way too soon does something to you, it takes a piece of your heart and soul and leaves a gaping hole that you need to fill with something. Some choose alcohol, drugs, or some other substance to try to fill that void, I am choosing to take steel and turn it into art. My dad was taken away from us tragically on January 1st of this year and he is my inspiration for starting this Blacksmithing journey. Shorty's Forge is a name that I chose to honor my dad; Stump, and Shorty were two of my Dad's nicknames among all his pals, due to him being vertically challenged. I am sure he is cussing right now for me saying that, but I know he would appreciate, and maybe even embrace it.
In this post, I wanted to go ahead and share a little bit about my dad and how important he is to me in wanting to be a blacksmith. By looks alone, you could not deny that I was his son, but as far as having a lot in common growing up, there wasn't much. My dad rode motorcycles, worked on cars, hunted, fished, and pretty much did all things "manly". Myself, on the other hand was obsessed with any and all sports and not much of anything else. It's not that my dad and I didn't get along growing up, we just didn't have much to talk about. He didn't try to force his passions on me and I didn't care to stop and see if I would be interested in any of them either. If I could go back, I would be attached to his side at every step and I would soak up any and everything he wanted to share.
This weekend, was only a reminder of all of Dad's passions, and varied interests. As the family sorted, sifted, and remembered, I reflected back on the lost moments that could have been. We had a very productive weekend of helping my mom pack up their Mathews home, and begin to get settled locally. I picked up a lot of tools and equipment that will help me get this forge going very soon. I picked up some hammers, a couple of grinders, a belt sander, a drill press, and a few other tools from my dads shop. It was very emotional going through my dads things, but being with my whole family and sharing memories made it bearable. I miss my dad every day and I hope that doing this honors him. I know he would be proud of me for pursuing this, and following an interest and passion.
I would easily give anything to spend just a few minutes with my dad, but I am grateful that he had some things that I could have to make this passion of mine a reality. I love and miss you dad, more than anything. I hope that I can make you proud in Heaven, and I will see you again some day.
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| Bruce Galen Harris 2/15/1950-1/1/2017 |
This weekend, was only a reminder of all of Dad's passions, and varied interests. As the family sorted, sifted, and remembered, I reflected back on the lost moments that could have been. We had a very productive weekend of helping my mom pack up their Mathews home, and begin to get settled locally. I picked up a lot of tools and equipment that will help me get this forge going very soon. I picked up some hammers, a couple of grinders, a belt sander, a drill press, and a few other tools from my dads shop. It was very emotional going through my dads things, but being with my whole family and sharing memories made it bearable. I miss my dad every day and I hope that doing this honors him. I know he would be proud of me for pursuing this, and following an interest and passion.
I would easily give anything to spend just a few minutes with my dad, but I am grateful that he had some things that I could have to make this passion of mine a reality. I love and miss you dad, more than anything. I hope that I can make you proud in Heaven, and I will see you again some day.
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