This past Tuesday, my dad would have turned seventy-nine. He’s been gone eleven years. It doesn’t seem that long as the years have passed, but when I think of all that has happened in the past years, it’s a significant period of time. He wasn’t here for our move to Shelbyville. He wasn’t here to witness the political events of the past six years. (I would love to discuss these events with him.) He wasn’t here to see Davidson mature over the past few years. (I think he would be tickled by D’s technological ability.) He wasn’t here for other family events. It seems like he has missed a lot, so he has been gone quite a while.
Yet, he was here. He was here for sixty-eight years. He was here to build a life with my mom. He was here to become a father to my brother and me. He was here to build friendships and relationships with friends from Indiana to Tennessee. He was here to play countless rounds of golf and to take countless naps. He was here to tell a few funny jokes and quite a few jokes that weren’t that funny (even though he thought they were.) He was here to be a servant in the church and to share his love with those who mattered to him. He was here.
Dad’s life was like so many of ours. It was filled with joys. He loved his family and friends. They brought him joy. He loved nature and working in his yard. He loved finding new restaurants and enjoying old ones. He loved his music and wished he could have been John Denver. He loved his cats. He experienced great joys in this life.
It was also filled with pain. He had a dad who could be rough and pretty demanding. He suffered a critical injury in Vietnam and spent months in a military hospital in Japan. (Agent Orange was linked to the cancer which caused his death.) He struggled with PTSD and the emotions that brought or suppressed. He grieved the death of his parents and the other losses and burdens we all carry. He experienced great pain in life.
Through it all, Dad built a good life. It was a life that embraced the blessings of God and a life that humbly tried to follow Him. It was a life blessed with a long marriage, long friendships and the ability to enjoy the simple things. It wasn’t a perfect life and Dad wasn’t a perfect man. He had his failures and sins. But it was a life covered by grace and it was a life that was a blessing.
Dad is gone but he was here and I’m thankful for that. I look forward to seeing him again one day. I’m sure he will tell me a joke. (I hope it’s funny.) I’m sure he will give me a hug. I will be there where he is, and we will enjoy eternity together.
Until then, I’m here and I want to be a blessing to others. Join me as we walk with the Father together. He is good and He is here.
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