FATHER'S DAY

I have been privileged to have some very Godly men in my life. My father didn't get saved until later in life, I was probably in my mid teens. Up until then he was a heavy drinker and smoker. But when he got saved - oh what a difference that Jesus made! He & I would sit and talk about the Bible all the time. He loved it when I had Spiritual questions that he could answer. He drove a semi truck all of his life, with the exception of a few years when he was trying to start his own cabinet business. I still remember the smell of fresh cut wood, out on our closed in porch, where he had set up shop. He used to let me come out and help him rub the wood down with almond stick. When I was a little girl he made me an entire bedroom suite: dresser, closet, and nightstand. Then when I had little girls of my own, he made them a table and chair set to play with. He was wonderful with wood and so badly wanted to make a go of that business, but it didn't bring in enough consistent work to pay the bills. I was sad for him when he had to let it go and go back to driving. I remember one Summer when he let me go on some of his runs with him. He drove a milk tanker at that time. We had a lot of fun together. My Dad taught me how to work, and how to work hard. How to really give someone the days work they were paying me for. My Dad loved me and seemed to always watch out for me especially. I guess that comes with being the only girl. I don't know how he put up with my antics as a kid though. We lived on a big farm surrounded on 3 sides by corn fields. We constantly had snakes in our yard and I am petrified of snakes! I would be out there mowing and hit a snake, rip it to shreds, scream, leave the lawn mower running and hightail it for the house! He would say, "Well, it's DEAD now! Get back out there and finish the job!" LOL Or the year of the locusts, I was deathly afraid of them. You'd go outside and they would jump on you and stick! One day I ran outside for something and several of them jumped on me. I was so mortified, I ran to our big suburban, jumped in and started honking the horn for someone to come rescue me! LOL My Dad came out, but it wasn't to "rescue" me! LOL
My Dad passed on to Heaven in 1988 after a long bout with heart disease, and I still miss him today. I was only 26. I'm so glad he got saved and I get to see him again one day, in his brand new, pain free body!