Why I am Thankful for My Dad

It has been almost two and a half years since Dad went home to be with his Lord. I always struggled to tell him how I felt. So this year as Father’s Day is approaching, I thought I would write down some things I appreciated about him.

1.      He showed me how to care about others at all times. Even when he was going through his own physical problems, he was still concerned and asked about Wanda with her physical issues.

2.      He showed me how to be a man of extreme integrity and principals. He wanted to do what was right even WHEN it cost him in his career and reputation.

3.      He showed me what it looked like to be a student of the Bible. If he was home come 8:00 or 9:00 at night, we knew where he would be: on the corner f the couch in the Living room with his Bible.

4.      He showed me how to care for a spouse. Even when Mom was in her last hours and sedated, he was still concerned that her ear was not being bent by one of the tubes she had.

5.      He showed a passion for God and faithfulness to His Word. He was instrumental in leading our home church away from the ELCA before the big exodus occurred because he saw that what our church believed was not the beliefs to which the ELCA church was committed.

6.      He showed me to try new things but be prudent. At the age of 50, we went to Colorado and he learned how to ski. The first half of the day, he spent on the bunny hill just learning how to fall and get up again. He knew he was going to fall so he wanted to do it right. By the way, the next day, he went with Mom and let Craig and I ski by ourselves.

7.      Although I did not inherit this trait, he showed me how to be creative. If the TV channel knob was stripped, he attached a long rod out the back of the TV with a crank on it that allowed us to turn the channels. When our VW’s would not start, he figured out how to bypass the starter by putting either a button or light switch inside the car to start it.

8.      He showed me the benefits of having a project. He always had something that was occupying his mind. Sometimes that was a theological truth; sometimes it was a recipe from a restaurant that he wanted to copy; sometimes it was a wood project he was working on. Whatever it was, he was ruminating on something most of the time.

9.      He showed me how to disagree civilly. There were times when his passion got the best of him and he came across too strong. But there were other times where he was comfortable with someone else not believing the same as him on secondary issues (I believe Merle Johnson and him did not agree about the End Times but they were good friends).

10.   Finally, he showed me what it meant to be a Christian in all aspects of your life. Thank you for introducing me to God and being an example of how to live out your life in service to Him.