When Father's Day arrived last month, I was thinking a lot about my dear father. Below are a few words I'd like to express about this very special man:
In visiting my Dad once, he was writing on a yellow ruled sheet of paper what he thought to be the main ingredient of success. I asked him if I could have that piece of paper and he gladly consented. I have it to this day. It says: "Have a tenacity that is second to none, an unrelenting perseverance.”
My father died 14 years ago on May 22, 1992---the more times passes the more I realize there was to appreciate in that man! I am very proud of my father! I often reflect on the fact that in spite of any shortcomings he may have had, my Dad had more principle, more character, decency and depth than I encounter in anyone else these days---persons with his degree of honesty, consideration and integrity are now a rarity. We could count on the truth from our Dad. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend."
My father cared! He showed me what a real man is, that it's the simple things: He never once abandoned his family, he went to work every day without fail, made sure we 6 kids had a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, that we never missed a meal. Often he was tired or stressed when he arrived home after a long day, but he kept on, and he kept on, for almost 40 years. Day in and day out, my father gave his time and interest in those small moments that made a big difference!
If I had a problem I could go to my father and he would sit with me FOR HOURS discussing it till we wore the subject out, a REAL friend! He taught me from child hood about the supreme importance of "individual freedom," the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers, and genius of our Bill of Rights, our national Constitution and that grand old document the Declaration of Independence.
But what I value more than anything, is that, when we lived in Arcadia, I was 10 or 11 years old, he tenderly explained to me that the very best and the most wonderful experience a human being can have is to walk with God like Enoch did, having one's mind and thoughts attuned to the good Lord each and every moment, no matter what the immediate circumstances were. This made a deep impression on my young mind. If this knowledge was the only good thing he ever gave me, my father has my heartfelt gratitude forever! Countless times he pointed out to us how Jesus was treated so utterly cruel when He walked this earth, how they even spit right in His face (Dad would say, "He did that for me!!!"), and he often went on about how Christ is our righteousness, how not a one of us has any righteousness or goodness of our own. Dad believed that with Jesus there is always hope---he loved to tell the story of the thief on the cross who was saved by a miracle of mercy just before his life history closed, at the last possible moment. He told me a touching story, how when he was a teenager he was very concerned about what type of individual he would become, and he would pray on his knees by his bed at night, “God, please make me a man!!”
When I won a temperance oratorical contest in high school, it was my Dad who wrote EVERY word of that speech! Even though he would have to get up early to go to work the next morning, for nearly two weeks he'd stay up until the wee hours working on my speech until it was perfect. When I ran for Vice President, I'll never forget, how night after night throughout my campaign Dad stayed up past midnight making my campaign posters---my posters were far and away the very best of any of the student council candidates---they created quite a sensation among students and faculty alike---what pride I had in my Dad's remarkable artistic talent; I had no doubt that he had single-handedly put me over the top. I remember the day, as a teenager, that I was baptized; my Dad was there and said, "Lynn, you look so happy!" Unforgettable, warm memories of a father's love, precious beyond any words!
I could write many, many more words about my Dad and why I love him. In fact, this blog entry was originally 5 single-spaced Word document pages, but I cut two-thirds of it out, as it was getting too long. I can’t say enough about my Dad! In short, my father was a very special man, and I miss him so much!
