Thoughts on Father

I realize how truly blessed I am to have had a dad who loved me, cared for me and would have done anything in his power to help me in any way and make me happy. I know not everyone is so fortunate as I am to have had a father who made it easy for me to believe there is a heavenly father who has my best interests in mind and loves me beyond measure.

No one I have known has had a greater influence on my life and my beliefs than my father. He died two years ago, but his words and his ways are always with me. I often marvel at how his early life was, in so many ways, sad and tragic, but his conquering spirit made him an overcomer, not bitter or resentful about his past, but grateful for what he had been given and able to move on.

The youngest of four children, he never knew his mother. When he was just two months old, in 1918, she died in the influenza epidemic. From there, his situation went even further downhill: passed around amongst relatives, ending up with an abusive stepmother, running away from home, working on an uncle's ranch and not getting the share he was promised, serving in WWII, his brother killed in action, lost love and more. He didn't ask, "Why me?" Moving from his beloved Colorado to the Ozarks after the War to be near my mother's parents, he also never asked, "What's in it for me?" He was loving and giving, and willing to put the needs and wants of others ahead of his own.

He was not perfect by any definition, but he is the best example of Christian love I can point out. Even though I know he had a temper, he did not speak angry or hurtful words. No one was allowed to call anyone else "stupid" in his presence. Insofar as it was up to him, he was a friend to everyone he met. He was the least judgmental person I have ever known; I never heard him point out anyone else's faults or mistakes or even speak an unkind word. He simply did not gossip. Ever. He was honest, generous, and he loved to laugh and sing.

He also never quoted Bible verses to make a point, never told me (or anyone else) what God did or did not have to say about a particular matter, kept his religious leanings to himself and at many times wasn't even a regular attendee at church services. But everything about him made me want to be a better person, and he is still my inspiration.

My thoughts on Father's Day: All of the religious things you'll ever say will never be as important as the example you set for your children every day. Talking about Jesus will never have the impact of doing your best to live the way he taught us we should.