Dad George Jacobs Dear Dad, Today is your birthday and you would be 62 today! I find it's easier since you left us in 1995 to remember that you won't be waking me up in the morning, all happy and cheerful that a new day has come. You were a very complex man and one never knew what to expect, for good or bad, and this taught me to stay on my toes. I learned from you to never give up or give in, and this is your greatest gift to me, Dad. You taught me to believe that whatever life throws at me, that I can end up victorious and better off than I was before! I think the saying is "I'm too stupid to realize that the task ahead is impossible." I am thankful that you taught our whole family that it was OK to be emotional, to cry, to get angry, and to not be ashamed of emotion. I learned from you that all people are equal, no matter their color or station in life. You told me that I am very lucky to be young and free and I should always be thankful I have the opportunities I have in Canada. I learned that money is not to be hoarded but enjoyed by the living, and yet to work very hard for it. I learned that it's OK not to be a genius or a martyr, but to to do what I believe in and be the best at what I do. You showed me how to dream, and gave me the wings to soar, and although you sometimes could not understand my passions, you always applauded my efforts. So many things have happened, so many glorious things, that you would not believe! I am so glad that I feel your presence almost always, and know that when things are unbearable, I can call upon your strength and your spirit will guide me through, often without me even knowing. I am truly and utterly happy, even though I don't always show it, and rest assured that I will always love and remember you and don't hold any grudges for any mistakes you made or problems you caused. In the end, you were a big-hearted guy with so much love to give. You were one of the last great lovers of life, and with so much love, it burst it's banks and overflowed into the sea. you acknowledged cruel injustices and "man's inhumanity to man" (quoted by another great man, Canadian poet Irving Layton)and was aware of the individual's alienation in a world such as ours. But your'e greatest strength was the love you had despite all these things, and the constant hope you always had that tommorrow will be a better day. I hope made you proud and kick myself for being too shy to show you my pride I had in you. You will always be a strong, dynamic, entreprenuerial friend to the underdog that always had a ready smile and a hearty laugh - these are the things that make you special to many people, and with that I bid adieu, for now... Love, your Daughter Tara XOXOXO Dad George Norman Jacobs Born April 18 1938 Pottstown PA USA Passed Away 1995 St.Petersburg Florida Dade Cemetery Ontario Canada Memorial Gardens