Mom and Dad with the ever present camera around his neck–circa 1980’s
Raised on a dairy farm, and the only boy in a family of six, hard work was no stranger to my Dad. He rose early, milked cows, rode the tractor for hours on end and filled his days with the never ending chores accompanying farm life.
Lazy was not in his vocabulary
Lazy was not an option
Lazy was anathema to him.
From rope swings over the creek (until his Mother had it cut down because she was tired of him coming in dripping wet) to hidden bale tunnels in the hay loft (of which the hired hand complained heatedly when he would fall thru them) and golf in the evenings with his Dad, his mantra was work hard, play hard.
As a kid he was allowed to do the planning of a road trip with his parents to California and never looked back. His love of travel and the beauty of God’s handiwork in places unknown was ever present. From the Tetons to the plantations in the South, and Mexico to Europe, he shared the world with us. As one family vacation ended, the discussion of the next trip colored my childhood with anticipation of more adventures of fun and wonder.
A company man, he managed JC Penny stores for thirty years, all the while, serving as a preacher in small struggling churches who couldn’t afford a full-time minister. Loyalty was part of his character.
Even to his staunch affection for his beloved K-State Wildcats football.
Even as they struggled year after year, he would analyze new recruits and optimistically pronounce that this year would be the year!
But the thing I respect the most about my Dad is his devotion to God. He was a self professed agnostic when he met my Mom. God then opened a beautiful door for him as a young college man and he chose to walk the path of a committed disciple these fifty plus years.
I picture him every evening with a bible in hand, studying and scribbling on the notepad beside him. His bible is a roadmap of underlined messages to his heart. Notations in the margin fill the pages with insight into his soul.
As my sister and I left the nest, and retirement arrived, and his days became his own, he turned to a new life’s work. The sharing of what saved his life, turned into a continual stream of souls sitting at his table, immersed in the study of the thirst quenching words he held so dear.
Rise early
Work hard
Be loyal
Travel widely
Enjoy beauty
Pray often
Cherish God’s word daily and share it with others
Revolve every decision every day around God.
He instilled in me, not with his words, but with his actions, that a life lived in the shadow of God’s wings is the only life worth living.
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Ephesians 6:4-Fathers don’t stir up anger in your children but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
-What good memories do you have of your Father or of a Godly influence?
-Thank them today!