Do not have a grammar fit...the apostrophe in the title of this entry is exactly where it belongs. It is the possessive form of the plural...totally appropriate in light of the fact that several men have had a remarkable fathering influence on my life. I don't think I was raised by a village...there weren't THAT many people, but maybe more like a small commune. I'm grateful for each of the men that God has placed in my life and for the things they all have taught me. Would you like to meet them? You do? Oh, good! Keep reading.
My Daddy....where do I start? He is a walking testimony to the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. His life is a witness of the power of second chances. He RAN from God for a very long time...drugs, alcohol. He smoked everything but his shoes and if he thought his shoes could get him high, he probably would have smoked them! He drew the line at needles, though..."even junkies have their standards." That's what he said! Kid you not! Nothing you will read about my daddy is a secret. He would tell you himself, if he had the opportunity. He's very candid and open about his past...and likewise, he's very candid and open about how God changed him. I was in Junior High when he came back into my life. We had to work through a lot...which was interesting and difficult, but there again, with God's grace, nothing is impossible.
Papa....that's Mama's daddy. I get misty eyed at the smell of motor oil and sawdust...because that's how he smelled. He was "daddy" when Daddy wasn't there. Steady, unchanging, loving, hardworking, industrious, had a tremendous servant's heart, loved his family. He's the one who "gave me away" when Mr. Snark and I got married. AND...just like he asked Mama and Auntie when he walked them down the aisle...he asked me, "Are you sure, Sister? We can turn around and leave if you're not." That was really a joke between us because he KNEW I was sure. He died in 2003, nine months after Granny. It took a long time to be able to breathe correctly after they were both gone. God has a sense of humor, though, because every so often, I see Papa in Y1's face...well...in his chin. When Y1 grins or laughs in just the right fashion, I get to see Papa's mark on him...a cleft in the bone of his chin. Mind you, it's not as predominant as in some of my cousins, but just what I need to be reminded of that precious man.
FILove....where to start? He NEVER treated me like an in-law. I wasn't his "son's wife"...I was his daughter. That was lots of fun! You should have seen people's face when he introduced us...."This is my son, my daughter and their boys.!" HA! We confused the nurses with that during the first of his hospital stays. I called him "Dad." Mr. Snark called him by his first name...since he was about three or four and learning peoples' first names. It was their thing. Back to the nurses..."Wait...your son was just here and he calls you 'P'. But this is your DIL and she calls you 'Dad'." We were confined to the hospital room...we had to have fun somehow! He was such a talented man...in so many things, but his own shaky self confidence...his "Charley Brown" attitude...often held him back. Those of us around him could see so much more in him than what he could see himself. Play the guitar, Lawdy!!!! He could play the guitar. Didn't read a lick of music, but if he heard it once or twice, he could pick it out and run with it. The Younglings had him wrapped around their fingers. He gave his blue eyes to Y1 and Y2 got the eccentric personality from FILove...HANDS DOWN! You're going to think this is weird, but some of my favorite moments with him were after he got sick...I spent days and nights in the hospital with him and we talked, we laughed, we prayed and he let me cry. I miss him so much.
Dude...he and Mama got together in 1989 and were married a few years later. He brought a stability and peace to Mama's life that had long been absent. He loves my mama...in a very quiet, inconspicuous way. He spoils her and she deserves it. He's a salesman...to the DNA level. His daddy was, too...back in the day when there were sales routes and a good living could be made from those routes. Dude could sell water to a man drowning in the ocean...no joke! LOVES Michigan sports...U of M, the Lions, the Pistons, the Tigers and especially the Red Wings. Don't call when a game is on the TV...you won't hear Mama for all his yelling in the background.
My Preacher...the one that I had in SMALLtown, GA. I've spoken about him before, but he belongs here, too. I just love him...I don't know how else to say it. He's taught me so much about our Saviour and the power of love. The twining together of our hearts didn't take long and though time and geography conspire against us, I treasure the moments I've spent with him.
Mr. Snark...being an only child, he never enjoyed the company of siblings. It's been comical watching his inner child grow as the Younglings have grown. I sometimes have to remind him that HE is the adult when the Younglings try to pull him into one of their schemes. My three boys, KWIM? Our sons are blessed to have the daddy that they do...he's not perfect...but he tries very hard to always do what is right, to keep his word. He works hard to provide for his family and is always looking out for our best interests. He is a natural born leader and I can see shades of that in the Boyos. He wants to be a strong man of God and it is a daily struggle...and as long as we're bound to this Earth, it will be. My very best friend is the father of my children....how lucky can a girl be?
Happy Fathers' Day!
My Daddy....where do I start? He is a walking testimony to the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. His life is a witness of the power of second chances. He RAN from God for a very long time...drugs, alcohol. He smoked everything but his shoes and if he thought his shoes could get him high, he probably would have smoked them! He drew the line at needles, though..."even junkies have their standards." That's what he said! Kid you not! Nothing you will read about my daddy is a secret. He would tell you himself, if he had the opportunity. He's very candid and open about his past...and likewise, he's very candid and open about how God changed him. I was in Junior High when he came back into my life. We had to work through a lot...which was interesting and difficult, but there again, with God's grace, nothing is impossible.
Papa....that's Mama's daddy. I get misty eyed at the smell of motor oil and sawdust...because that's how he smelled. He was "daddy" when Daddy wasn't there. Steady, unchanging, loving, hardworking, industrious, had a tremendous servant's heart, loved his family. He's the one who "gave me away" when Mr. Snark and I got married. AND...just like he asked Mama and Auntie when he walked them down the aisle...he asked me, "Are you sure, Sister? We can turn around and leave if you're not." That was really a joke between us because he KNEW I was sure. He died in 2003, nine months after Granny. It took a long time to be able to breathe correctly after they were both gone. God has a sense of humor, though, because every so often, I see Papa in Y1's face...well...in his chin. When Y1 grins or laughs in just the right fashion, I get to see Papa's mark on him...a cleft in the bone of his chin. Mind you, it's not as predominant as in some of my cousins, but just what I need to be reminded of that precious man.
FILove....where to start? He NEVER treated me like an in-law. I wasn't his "son's wife"...I was his daughter. That was lots of fun! You should have seen people's face when he introduced us...."This is my son, my daughter and their boys.!" HA! We confused the nurses with that during the first of his hospital stays. I called him "Dad." Mr. Snark called him by his first name...since he was about three or four and learning peoples' first names. It was their thing. Back to the nurses..."Wait...your son was just here and he calls you 'P'. But this is your DIL and she calls you 'Dad'." We were confined to the hospital room...we had to have fun somehow! He was such a talented man...in so many things, but his own shaky self confidence...his "Charley Brown" attitude...often held him back. Those of us around him could see so much more in him than what he could see himself. Play the guitar, Lawdy!!!! He could play the guitar. Didn't read a lick of music, but if he heard it once or twice, he could pick it out and run with it. The Younglings had him wrapped around their fingers. He gave his blue eyes to Y1 and Y2 got the eccentric personality from FILove...HANDS DOWN! You're going to think this is weird, but some of my favorite moments with him were after he got sick...I spent days and nights in the hospital with him and we talked, we laughed, we prayed and he let me cry. I miss him so much.
Dude...he and Mama got together in 1989 and were married a few years later. He brought a stability and peace to Mama's life that had long been absent. He loves my mama...in a very quiet, inconspicuous way. He spoils her and she deserves it. He's a salesman...to the DNA level. His daddy was, too...back in the day when there were sales routes and a good living could be made from those routes. Dude could sell water to a man drowning in the ocean...no joke! LOVES Michigan sports...U of M, the Lions, the Pistons, the Tigers and especially the Red Wings. Don't call when a game is on the TV...you won't hear Mama for all his yelling in the background.
My Preacher...the one that I had in SMALLtown, GA. I've spoken about him before, but he belongs here, too. I just love him...I don't know how else to say it. He's taught me so much about our Saviour and the power of love. The twining together of our hearts didn't take long and though time and geography conspire against us, I treasure the moments I've spent with him.
Mr. Snark...being an only child, he never enjoyed the company of siblings. It's been comical watching his inner child grow as the Younglings have grown. I sometimes have to remind him that HE is the adult when the Younglings try to pull him into one of their schemes. My three boys, KWIM? Our sons are blessed to have the daddy that they do...he's not perfect...but he tries very hard to always do what is right, to keep his word. He works hard to provide for his family and is always looking out for our best interests. He is a natural born leader and I can see shades of that in the Boyos. He wants to be a strong man of God and it is a daily struggle...and as long as we're bound to this Earth, it will be. My very best friend is the father of my children....how lucky can a girl be?
Happy Fathers' Day!
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