Thanks Dad
Early Saturday morning, I decided to pull out my dad’s life story filed away for years in a cabinet. My father, God rest his soul, penned the roughly 200 pages, back in 1986 at the age of 76. My original intent was to read about the Depression and maybe find some lessons on the way it had impacted him and his family, while learning some new coping strategies. Just thinking of the word ‘coping’ makes me smile. I doubt dad would have ever used it. He was a little more direct.
Reading all the stories, his life’s major events, the joys and the challenges, I was reminded time and time again of the man I knew, the dad I loved, my best man. He was a faith-filled believer, a provider, tenacious, resilient and loyal. He demanded much of himself and others. He gave and then he gave more. He knew his family and all the responsibilities that came with it. I smiled, laughed and cried. In the end though, there were not any tactics. Instead, there were four main lessons that spoke clearly to me. Let me turn to his story and be specific.
Early in the document, my dad was recounting his family’s move into a new rental home when he was 9 years old. This would be home for the next 8 years of his life—his adolescent and teen years. He defined this as the period when he grew up. Simply he wrote, “I found out a lot about life—
God is Good. People are Good.”
Several times when recounting the more difficult times, and there were many, pops would add a closing sentence: “
Remember, the next day was always better.”
Later reflecting on his family, dad wrote “There was
always a lot of love
in our home … plenty of caring and sharing,”
I certainly do not know how dad would face this pandemic or how he would lead our family through it. Trust me, I have asked him and frankly wonder if I am meeting his expectations as I walk with Judy, our kids, their spouses and our grandkids.
I think he would simply reiterate those four principles, those four truths, which hold not only for this time but also for every day. I will humbly try to channel my dad with these words in the hope that you will gain strength from it.
