A Life Well Lived, Part E, F, & G: Energetic, Faithful, and Grandpa

Reflections through the alphabet in memory of my Dad. [You can follow the entire series beginning here.] Today’s essay is written on Father’s Day, a very special time to remember my Dad who is freshly arrived in heaven where he now knows more fully his own Heavenly Father.

E -  Energetic.  Dad was a truck driver all his career, from age 17 or so, as well as a farmer. We moved to an 80-acre farm just down the road from our 1-acre home site when I was in sixth grade. Watching my Dad work in both these areas of commerce taught me a lot about his energy level. I got an extra close look at that when, as a junior in high school during spring break, I went with my Dad on his “run” from home in northern Indiana to Chicago and up to Milwaukee as he made his deliveries of beef and other restaurant food items to Ponderosa Steak Houses. 

My parents were ahead of the times with the idea of taking their child to work with them. It was quite an experience at that age to be “riding shot-gun” in the cab of an eighteen-wheeler. I watched with amazed country-girl eyes as Dad wove his rig through traffic and streets in the two cities. Along the way, he gave me tips on highway driving. We also listened to Moody Radio around the Chicago area; these were seeds for my desire to attend Moody Bible Institute, as well as my fearlessness of getting around in a big city. Watching him jump in and out of the cab, help with the deliveries, fuel up, and keep his hands firmly on the wheel in that noisy truck cab, I gained a new respect for how he was providing for our family. 

 

Helping Mom in the Kitchen when Adult Kids & Families Were Home

At home on the farm, Dad jumped in or orchestrated whatever was happening during his off hours: hay baling, work in the barn with the steers, shearing and bathing the 4-H sheep before the fair, and much more. All with fervor, no complaints, and always with recruits from the six kids. We didn’t always like helping, but we were learning that it is a good and wise thing to spend one’s energy on the right things. Thank you, Lord, that my Dad was energetic in his responsibilities to provide for his family.

F - Faithful. A man with a family has a wide range of areas where he can show up with faithfulness as his cloak. What a blessing it was to be part of a family where I never once worried that Dad would let us down in any area. I am so thankful today on Father’s Day to say, Thank you, Lord, that my Dad was faithful to his wife, his family, his Lord, his church, his employer, and all his areas of responsibility all through his adult life.  

G - Grandpa. With twenty-four grandchildren, Dad had a lot of opportunity to be a good and loving grandfather. So many stories here, just a few that I’ll share. When a granddaughter was fresh out of the nest and finding her way into adult life, Dad helped her with the purchase of her first auto. He set up a payment plan she could manage and was so proud to tell how she learned responsibility in making regular payments and taking good care of her car. 

Grandkids Having Fun at Grandpa's Farm (Swimming in the Cow Trough)

When my son Dennis turned five, Grandpa thought he should have a dog, which wasn’t an option where we lived on a very small lot in town. So Grandpa and Grandma got a collie, just like Lassie, for Dennis's birthday and kept it at the farm where he could enjoy “his dog” whenever he was there. “Every boy needs a dog.” Every boy needs a grandpa like that too. 

This past year after Mom died, Grandpa kept up the practice of sending birthday cards to all the grandchildren and great-children. He had boxes of greeting cards on his desk, a calendar where he’d marked in all the birth dates, and a good supply of stamps. Along with cash, he always wrote this verse on the inside left corner-it was one of the scripture passages read at this funeral:  

Jeremiah 9:23 & 24 (KJV)

  Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

Thank you, Lord, that my Dad was a wonderful Grandpa to his grandchildren. May the good seeds he planted in their lives sprout into good things that grow by God’s grace into things that extend beyond this life into the one to come in the kingdom of heaven. 

MUSIC LINKS

Two selections from my piano recordings for my Dad on Father's Day 2013. One celebrating my father's faith, and one that Dad liked to hear me play about our heavenly Father:
 

Faith of Our Fathers - a lovely, gentle setting of this beloved hymn. 

This Is My Father's World - Dad listened to me practice this one at his home in June of 2012 prior to playing it on Father's Day at my brother Jim's church.


Here's a link to the next essay in this series A LIFE WELL-LIVED