Rise and Shine!

[394 words] I was conscious enough at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday to hear my dad step inside our doorway and turn on the light. My dad would say, “Rise and shine, my sons!” We got up to our daily chores of cooking breakfast, making coffee, fixing mom and dad’s lunch pails and their thermoses, and sitting at the table half asleep to eat breakfast together. Then at 6:30 they left to drive to their jobs at Beech Aircraft in Wichita. I never once thought about how they liked the early morning and the daily commute. My parents worked hard, to provide the best life they could for our whole family. They were the typical American employees who took pride in their work, believing they were making life and America better. I will never forget that! Through all the years of back and forth to Wichita to work, my parents…