Father’s Day 2020 is just a few days away as I write this. My dad left this world in 2018 but I still remember so many things about him. Some of course are too personal to share but there a good number of good memories I’ll always cherish.
Dad was about five feet, ten inches in height—the smallest of all four of the boys—but he had a pair of ice-blue eyes that could pierce just about anything. Seldom did he have to say much of anything: he just gave me (and others, as need be) the LOOK. That was enough.
But he also had a ready smile and a dry sense of humor that came in handy when that was needed too. As time went on, and I had moved away from our home state, our contacts were limited but we always looked forward to a good phone call or visit whenever I could come in. Those were some absolutely great times!
And one of the greatest things we did for several years was for one of us to call the other on Father’s Day. We’d wait until a little after lunch time and then talk and talk some more. Dad had a treasure trove of stories about his days as a dispatcher for the railroad and other things. Sure. I heard them many times but every time was good when I heard it from Dad. We’d always wish each other a “Happy Pappy” day for Father’s Day. Sadly, that ended a few years before he died, after he had suffered a major stroke which wiped out a lot of his physical capabilities.
In fact, the last cogent conversation we had was just a few months before he was taken to a nursing home, or assisted living facility—whatever it’s called, that’s where Dad spent his last couple of years. Anyway, he told me, just before I had to go back to my residence, “Son, you know I can’t come and visit, and I can’t call you nor write to you . . .” I jumped in and said, “Dad, you just promise me you’ll meet me in Heaven and that’ll be good enough for
me,’
He said, “I can do that.”
There’s a lot more that I could say about Dad but, as mentioned, it’s just too up close and personal for me to share—at this time, anyway. I did try to honor Dad as much as I could (admittedly there were times I could have done better) because not only did he love me, and provide for my mother and sisters as well as me, but he believed in me.
Several times in the Scriptures we’re told to honor our father and mother (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, and Ephesians 6:2, to list a few), and what better way to honor our fathers and mothers is to love them, pray for them, and remember the good they did for us.
Dad, if you were here, I’d sure be wishing you another “Happy Pappy” day on Father’s Day!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).