I spent the day with the parents yesterday. They are finally going on the cruise that we planned to send them on over a year ago. The journey we took to get them to this point has been one hell of a ride.
The first thing was getting a birth certificate for my father.That's easy enough right? Wrong, my father had been under the impression his entire life that he was born in Patterson N.J. So my sister and I sent for his birth certificate from there. Well it turns out they had no record of him.We went back to my dear father and explained that someone must have told him wrong because he was not born in Patterson. So now we had to figure out which parent told him wrong where the heck he was really born. You can find out an awful lot about someone on the internet.After finding his birth place was actually Jersey City we were elated! We received his birth certificate.
The second thing was getting a Passport. We soon found out that the passport couldn't be issued because the birth certificate was filed a year after his birth. Still him, just a year later. Go figure.Made no sense at all to me, but this was our gov't at work. Urggh!
So now they needed two other forms of proof of citizenship. Not marriage or work records. Not social security or pension records. Not Teamster membership or dues paid. A whole lifetime of memories none of that mattered. What they wanted was school records or baptismal records. Are you kidding me? Keep in mind my dad is no spring chicken. The school he attended to my surprise was still standing however the records ( over fifty years old)had been archived or destroyed. So we tried repeatedly to no avail to get some help from the people who originated the phrase " Hold Please".
Finally, in a last ditch effort to make this cruise a reality we called the church were he was baptized, some 70 years ago and the woman who answered the phone actually remembered the pastor and knew where the records were kept. Ain't God good?
We received his passport. They are already packed and just waiting to go.I told them both I want them to party like it's 1999 from the first moment they get on board until they get back.
I'm glad that we are blessed enough to be able to do this for them. I can't wait to send them off.
5 comments:
Wow, that was some adventure just getting them prepared to go! I bet it will be a memorable vacation. Praying for their safe return.
Your email is blocked through Google. So please email me directly (not through comments). You can find my email address from my profile page. I need to get your gift card to you. Thanks!
I wish my parents were still alive. sigh
What wonderful kids you are to do that for your 'rents! I know they're pleased as well.
@Lyre-I'm sorry for your loss, sweety.
It's a good feeling guys. Thanks. Lyre, I can't even imagine your loss. That is why I try to appreciate them while they are here
That sounds like it was the prelude to the cruise. I hope they have a blast and that the passport adventure was worth the drama.
I'm already planning my 2008 trips.
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