What difference does my life make for others around me? What difference does anyone's life make? It's always a question related to parenting. Parents make choices that affect the manner in which their children form their identities. Harry Chapin put it well in his song, Cat's in the Cradle. When he was a young father he was too busy making a living to be bothered by his son. When he was finally old enough to enjoy time with the family, his son had learned to be too busy for him!

Of course, the other side of the story is just as true. Maurice Boyd remembers the impact of one incident that sealed the impact of his father on his life forever. His father worked in a shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. During the Depression, work dried up. Times were tough and for three years his father was out of a…