Happy Father's Day

Here we are at another holiday, Father's Day. Some people think that Mother's Day and Father's Day should not be considered holidays, that they were invented just solely for commercial reasons. They probably are right, but I think that both days are great opportunities to express your appreciation and gratitude to your parents. You really don't have to spend a dime if you choose not to. I know for most dad's, expressing emotions is not as easy as it is for moms and daughters, but they must appreciate kind and loving praises even if they don't show it. So here is my Father's Day Tribute to my dad. Daddy is the one that instilled my work ethic in me. He modeled what it was to be a dependable employee. I saw him go to work many a days when he should have stayed home or even be hospitalized, but he chose to go to work because Mr. Naylor was depending on him. I also learned my "fix-itness" from daddy. I never saw anything he couldn't rebuild, refurbish, or repair, even our Christmas Tree. Each year we always bought our tree very late in the season, or maybe it was even free, but they were always Charlie Brown trees. That didn't stop daddy, he would literally cut most of the branches off the trunk and drill new holes in the trunk and replace the branches so the tree looked more balanced. I remember one summer, the family driving out into the country to tear down old farm shacks for the wood. Daddy would always take other's "trash" and turn it into something we could use. He always worked on our cars and kept them running. We never took them to the mechanic. And as far as a mathematical whiz, that was Daddy. He would really gripe if we girls used a calculator, "Do it in your head!" he'd say. Unfortunately, it wasn't in my head! As far as this little girl knew, Daddy could do no wrong. I remember every night Daddy reading his Bible and if you asked him a scripture, he could flip to it in no time. You could definitely tell he read his Bible as it was frayed, worn and losing a few pages. When Daddy would pray you knew he was sincere and was speaking from the heart. In Eph 6:4 we read "And now a word to you fathers. Don't keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice." TLB Daddy and Mom both instilled in us the love of the Lord. They saw to it that we never missed a church service. I remember many years that Daddy was my Sunday School or Training Union teacher. He talked the talk and walked the walk. So as we reflect back on the past to honor our dads on this Father's Day, thanks Daddy for being such a positive influence and helping to mold me into the woman I am today. I love you!


I always loved this picture of Daddy. He was probably about the age of 4 or 5, but I don't really know for sure. He was always a cutie.




















This photo was probably around the time he caught mom's eye. I can see why. Look at that beautiful head of hair and those deep, dark eyes.