I know….I’m a day early….I wrote this last year…and I felt like I might bring it out and add it to Live Creatively Inspired. I can’t think of anything but a tribute.

On this Father’s Day…I would like to take a minute and just reflect on everything that Fathers do.

My father died when I was seven months old…and my sister was just shy of her second birthday. So for the most part…we never knew him. We only knew what our family chose to share with us…or could remember to share with us. I think growing up with second-hand memories made me CRAVE his accounts.

My father’s daddy…my PaPa had to be one of the most amazing men that EVER walked the face of the earth…literally!!!! He and my Grandmother, (by the way…one of the few female pastors of her day!) were DEVOUTLY dedicated to Christ! They didn’t just talk it…they lived it in the most honorable ways possible. I never saw either of them in “leisure” time that they didn’t have the bible in hand and study guides. PaPa, to me, was as close as a human man ever gets to Jesus! I firmly believe that I looked to him…for what I wanted in my life for a husband…..and Got him very close with my hubby! More on that in a minute.

My mother married my step father when I was in Junior High. We butted heads from day one. I never saw his point of view….nor he mine. Once I graduated and moved away….something transformed between the two of us. I started maturing…and I’m sure because of this he looked at me with different eyes…and I was mature enough to understand some of his decisions…and see what he REALLY did for our family. Daddy….AND…I get to call him “daddy” because in every way except genetics….he WAS my daddy.

He always made sure my oil got checked…that my tires were pressured up right. He ALWAYS knew why the engine light came on! I really think he might have been the smartest man alive!!! He knew how to use EVERY tool I ever witnessed him touch, and he knew no enemies that I know of even now….thirteen years after his death…and we lived in a small town where EVERYONE knows your business….even if you don’t!

Daddy was gruff…sometimes to the point that my kids weren’t sure if he was serious or not….(usually not). But I watched that man work…with aching discs…and horrible teeth…so that my mother could have EVERYTHING she asked for. He struggled sometimes to make ends meet…and still managed to die at 63 with his house paid off…and EVERYTHING on it “fixed” so that mom would not have to worry about maintenance for the rest of her life.

I believe that there are daddies all over this planet that live just like my daddy. They go to work everyday…just to do what EVER it takes to make their wives, daughters and sons get the essentials in life…and usually the WANTS in life too…without getting much for themselves.

I also believe I married this same type of man. Davie goes to work every morning with a bounce in his step…and a smile on his face. He never speaks ill of those he works with…even though I know…that some of them…are just plain “ill”. He works twelve-hour days…sometimes fourteen…or more. He wears most of his clothes till they are thread bare…and never asks for anything for himself…he always makes sure that things are “taken care of” around his wife and children before he worries about his own needs! He took the time to try to teach his boys and mine how to be men…and he did this in the kindest, most gentle manner the Jesus himself would be proud of.

Today, on this Father’s Day, when you go about your daily living…stop and think about all the things your husband, daddy and sons give for the sake of love for their families. Thank them for their dedication….you don’t get the promise of tomorrow…and it usually is the only payment they require….to know you’re happy!
Love Y’all!

Tammy

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