Amazing Grace: MY HERO.... MY DADDY

With Father's Day just hours away..... I'm feeling a little emotional and a little sentimental, and ALOT blessed and grateful for the best daddy ever...

I'm not sure what all to say, where to start, but i do know how i feel, and i hope i do him honor by just speaking from my heart.

First I have to say, my dad is one of my biggest fans and he is one of my life-lines, and daddy I love you with all my heart... 2000 miles away at times is really hard, but i know you are always in my heart!

I could write forever about my dad...what a great dad he was and still is. He was the baby of his family. In fact his oldest sister was 18 years older than him. I have heard many stories from his brothers and sisters about how terribly spoiled he was! and my mom has done a fine job of continuing to spoil him! One time, he even stole a little car from the five and dime store and his sisters finked him out and it wasn't long before he was returning that toy and apologizing to the owner and then got his whippin that was coming to him! He loves to tell everyone how hard he worked in the cotton fields picking cotton, but his brother Ralph's story differs from his: he picked just enough cotton to fill his bag comfortably and then lay on it and take a nap. Unfortunity his father died when he was only 12 years old. He played football at Ceres High School. He met my mom when she transferred from Downey High School to Ceres High School. They met their Junior year and dated, they married in December of 1958. My dad joined the Army... the service life took them to Fort Ord in Seaside, CA, then off to Alberdine Proving grounds in Maryland (this is where they met their good friends Marilyn and Jim Marrs, in which they are still good friends with and visit several times a year). One of my favorite stories is when they broke into their piggy bank and went and bought a half gallon of ice-cream and some canasta cards, which they gave me several Christmas's ago. From there they went to Fort Eudis in Newport News, Virginia (their first apartment was cockroach invested! They only stayed one night, then found another place the very next morning). then off to Fort Story, Virginia. At this time, my mom was pregnant with Jeff, dad got his orders to Greenland, but because mom was going to ahve a baby, they sent Jim Marrs instead, but after Jeff was born, dad was sent to Korea for 18 months, Jeff was only 6 weeks old. The day he got home from Korea, he took Jeff to get his first haircut, because people were mistaking him for a little girl. My dad then got a job with Sharp Army Depot, until he ws hired on to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department, where he worked for 27 years before retiring in March 1991. In 1963, I was born. Now their family was complete. We continued to live in Manteca where we attended school, and grew up. We moved several times, we lived in the country for several years and rasised animals, had a huge garden and had horses. It was soon to much work and in my Senior year, we moved to town. they lived here until they moved to Missouri in 1991. They lived in a dream home on Table Rock Lake. After 10 years of living way to far from hospital and Wal-Mart, they moved to Springfield. They have a beautiful home and love to work in their garden and yard. They have amazing friends, church family and have no regrets!

My daddy is a light, a compass, a beacon true, my life (and others) was and is blessed by him!

My daddy taught me strong moral values. He taught me personal responsibility, he taught me honesty and trust, he taught me the value of education, he taught me to make good decisions in life, he taught me to have fun and laugh, he taught me the meaning of love. He did this by being a nurturing father, a hard and dedicated worker and a loving parent. My dad was one who was and is there to share with me in times of joy and times of hardships... he wants me to porch sit and enjoy the birds, and i love it when he says "care to talk about it?' or 'whatever you do, have fun!' Generously he gave and gives his personal time... his hard-fought efforts and his true self.... so that I could grow up to face this challenging world with courage, hope and faith. My daddy isnt perfect (as no one is) and he does have his faults, his struggles and his weaknesses. He taught me, however, how to face these problems and challenges with a positive atitude and a strong-will. I dont know anyone except my mom that have an amazing attitude, they never say "why me Lord" they say "Why not me?" The latest of life's challenges is his kidney failure and his new adventure with dialysis. These examples and the great memories I have shared with my daddy are ever-lasting and have positiviley influenced my life like no one could have.

Christmas 2007, the 4 of us.

dad.... thank you for all you have done, you will always be my #1. You have guided me with your gentle hand, taught me to be strong, to make that stand. you're loving, strong, gentle and kind

giving me all the support to strenghten my mind. I could not ask for a better dad, you wiped my tears when i am sad, you cheer me up and make me smile. You make my life truely worthwhile, you are my dad and i give you my love, you are a true angel sent from God above!

he is such a good sport even when he comes in last in the game headbands!

and lastly.... a single word to describe my dad? my first thought was "wise" as he is the wisest man I know. But then i started thinking maybe that one word should be "integrity" I'm thinking thats a much better description. A man of intergrity he is and his wisdom just contributes to that. He is patient (much more so these latter years) and kind. He is slow to speak and thoughtful. He is full of knowledge. He is loyal and faithful to his family and friends. He is diligent and hard-working. He is humble, he is not arragont. He does think he is so cool with his iphone and i-pad though! He loves the Lord and will tell you that, its obvious in how he lives his life. He is not wordly and does not care about having "stuff", yet his family never went without.

MAN OF INTERGRITY?

I THINK SO-

my daddy, his brother Ralph and me

September 2011, in his comfort zone, wearing overalls and picking his garden... reaping what he sowed....