My Dad

             Yesterday would have been my father’s 98^th birthday.  He’s been gone for 13 years, and I still miss him.  He wasn’t perfect, but he loved his family.  His letters home while he was in the service reflect his love for my Mom—Mandy, as he called her.  They were married for almost 65 years, and his love for her was never more evident than when she became sick in 2007. 

            As Mom underwent several surgeries due to an infection that ravaged her body, he was always by her side.  He became her primary caregiver as well as the cook, house cleaner, and laundry person, but you never heard him complain.  When she went to the hospital with another round of pneumonia, he was right there, remaining by her bedside until just a few hours before he died.

            His love for family was not limited to my Mom.  He loved and encouraged my brother and me and was always doing everything he could to help each of us succeed in life.  When the grandkids came, he revealed a whole new side of his personality.  I often remarked that the grandkids seemed to get away with things my brother and I never would.  I guess that’s the beauty of being a grandparent. 

            Later, when the great-grandchildren were born, Dad’s love for them grew even bigger.  Just a few weeks before his death, while driving to his great-grandson’s Preschool Christmas program, he hit something in the road and blew two of the tires on his car.  He was less than a ¼ mile from the Church where the program was happening, and Dad wasn’t about to miss his great-grandson’s big performance.  So, he came driving into the parking lot with sparks flying, on nothing but rims on one side.  That’s love for family.

            When Paul wrote to Titus, his “son in the faith”, he said this, “Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance” (Titus 2: 2 NIV84).  That was my Dad!  He was never famous.  He never held any position of note.  He wasn’t a big talker, but he was a family man!  He made sure we were in Church.  He was honest and worthy of respect, and it took a lot for him to lose his temper (believe me, I tested that many times).  Most of all, he loved his family and was not only true to them, he honored them to the end.  Happy heavenly birthday, Dad.  We miss you!

Titus 2: 2