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Dad, I Need to Tell You
| My father died in May of 1991. He left me a gift that I shall treasure always.
In all the years that I knew my dad he never used coarse language. He had nine children and three of them were so close in age that one year all three boys began Grade I together (There were twins!) I know the boys were full of mischief and they constantly thought up new games (like playing stretch with a jack knife). Since the boys were very visible they were often blamed wrongfully for the deeds of others in the neighborhood. Poor dad had to field a number of complaints! Now that must have taxed both parents considerably, yet both of them took things in stride and were controlled in how they spoke, No expletives! |
I remember when dad decided to dig out the cellar and turn it into a basement. There was a lot of commotion, with kids, friends and neighbors all trying to get into the act. One neighbor girl stood so close to the conveyor belt that it pulled her dress right into the works! Well, no one was hurt in that episode and if dad was frustrated by it all I never could tell - not even a darn! |
Once one of the neighbor boys got on the roof of the garage and Dad chased him down the lane, wielding a broom and saying something about the lad acting so cockeyed smart, and that was dad's most expressive term. |
I think as we all got older the challenges increased for dad. Everyone wanted to ride a bike then suddenly everyone wanted to drive a car. There were accidents! Like the time an older brother had taken a younger brother for a drive and on a curve the door flew open. The younger boy, Tom, was thrown out onto the pavement. Mom sat over Tom all day worrying about whether he had a concussion. Dad worried but he kept his cool Through thick and thin, dad just weathered everything. He and mom never used unacceptable language!
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Finally the big thing happened at our house! Our driveway drove straight up to mom and dad's bedroom window. Mom had been out driving. She was still kind of green at it. Something went wrong. I don't know maybe mom got excited and hit the wrong pedal. Whoosh! The family car drove into the bedroom! Dad was stunned and he said nothing as the seconds ticked by.
Then he said, “Well, are you going to sit there all day Pat, or are you going to back the car up”.
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“I don't think I want to move it back,” was her meek response.
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Dad said then, “Well, would you like to get out and I'll do it?”
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Later dad said one other thing about the whole affair. There was stuff sprayed all over the bedroom. The wall was a mess, although the window only had a small crack. Mom had been scheduled to go into the city and watch their grandchildren. She looked at the big mess and thought out loud that perhaps she had better not go. My dad had already said he could handle the mess, but when Mom said this dad responded with, “Well Pat, do you think you need to be here to hold my hand?”
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Dad and mom took a lot of ribbing over the years after that big thing happened. Relatives would say, “My! You were sure in a hurry to get to your bedroom!” Through it all dad just took the ribbing, along with mom.
Dad kept his cool.
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One day after dad's death, I sat back and thought about dad and his remarkable control. I realized that my father respected and loved his children so very much that he intended to always have control over what he said. That is some powerful love! Dad and mom gave us kids the greatest gift they could give us. They gave us their love and they demonstrated throughout their lives by example that they would honor their children and respect them. |
Dad isn't around for me to tell him how much I appreciate the gift he gave me all those years. It isn't too late to thank mom. |
Dad, I know you're out there somewhere. I just wanted to thank you for your goodness. I'm never going to stop being grateful dad and I'll try to live by your example! No coarse language! Thanks (and Dad, I love you too). |
The Wrong Change!
Joyce and Mike used to travel to a small town to clean the high school. Joyce would dry mop and dust while Mike did the heavier chores. On one occasion, the couple was finished for the day and deciding if there was money enough to go out for a meal. |
Mike asked, “How much money do you have Joyce?” |
Joyce didn't expect to find too much in her purse, after all they had just purchased a pair of moon boots for their son Trevor and Joyce remembers absently stuffing the change in her hand bag. |
“I have $40.00 left,” said Joyce. |
Mike looked at her puzzled and tried to figure out how there could be such a large sum left. |
“My gosh Joyce, the clerk at the store has made a mistake. He gave you the wrong change. We've got to go back. Likely that poor kid will have to cover this mistake out of his pocket!” |
Joyce figured that it was their gain and the high school boy should have to suffer the consequences but Mike knew what had to be done. The couple returned to the store and explained they had received the incorrect change. Joyce was telling the story later and she said, “I really see the goodness of my husband Mike, but I would not have returned that money without Mike making me do what was right!” |
Heroes In Our Lives
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| The stories that we share with you today are a salute to the giving, thoughtful, quiet heroes in our lives. I'm sure that you have a few. when you have read the stories would you take time to let the writers know why you liked them?
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My Best Friend
| by Terri Davis
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| The word "cancer" seems to leave most people at a loss for words. I found this out first hand 16 months ago. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and left the doctor's office in a daze. Upon arriving home I gave my husband the "verdict." He had very little to say about it; I NEEDED to talk about it. What a pair we made!
| In the time period between my diagnosis of breast cancer and the time of the actual surgery, my husband would only talk about it if pressed into a conversation. I felt alone, very depressed, and unloved. I didn't think he really cared for me or he would (at a time like this) be there for me and show me moral support of some form or another.
| The morning of my surgery we were at the hospital bright and early. We just made small talk as we awaited my appointed hour. It still amazes me how one can sit and chit chat about inconsequential things when their very life is about to be altered in a permanent way.
| When the nurse came to wheel me away to pre-op, she said it would be ok for my husband to ride down in the patient's elevator with us. He accompanied us as far as the waiting area and the nurse said we would continue on and that he could wait here.
| There were several people already in the waiting area, and right in front of the nurse and the other people, my husband bent down and kissed me and said, "I love you." This is something that the nurse had probably heard quite often, but you need to realize that for my husband to do this in PUBLIC, I was shocked to my socks (if I'd been wearing any!). At that point I finally realized that he DID care.
| I had a bilateral mastectomy and was released the next morning. I felt fine as far as the surgery goes. However, I was concerned about my "appearance" and how my husband would accept all this. The surgeon had given me permission to take a tub bath if I so desired, so long as I kept the drainage tubes out of the water.
| My husband offered to help me, and since I had four drainage tubes to contend with, I took him up on the offer. I figured he may as well see me like this and get it over with already. It seems that perhaps it was easier for him than it was me. I looked at myself in the mirror, bit my lip to keep from crying, and got into the tub.
| My husband started giving me a bath as if I was a small child. He kept up a stream of idle chit chat the whole while as if this were a normal part of our daily routine. Finally I couldn't keep the tears back any longer and he heard me sniffle. At first he just kept right on with the bath, but finally he hugged me (as best he could under the circumstances) and told me he loved me. He said it didn't matter to him that I'd had both breasts removed. He told me the important thing to him was that all the cancer had been removed and that I got well.
| I had always felt close to my husband and had always considered him a friend. But at that moment in the bathroom, I suddenly knew what the words "best friend" and "soul mate" meant.
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| by T. Davis
Copyright 1999
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| Terri is happily married and the mother of a "special needs" child. Her family enjoys bowling, camping and fishing. Terri enjoys a personal relationship with the Lord and encourages others to do the same. Her other writings can be seen at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Stream/7825.
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More Heroes in Our Lives
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My Hero!
| by Becky Holloway
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| My hero is my husband of twenty-three years! Now there's the makings of a hero, living with and loving me for THAT long!!!
| Just five months after we took each other for better or worse, in sickness and in health, we were tested on those vows. Jimmy Don was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy. We were told he'd be in a wheelchair in 15 years. We were told that there's nothing that can be done and that there's little known about the disease. Being young (I was 19--he was 25) we took it hard, but then 15 years seemed a lifetime (it almost was for me at that time) anyway so we continued on with our lives.
| We were blessed with 3 children and we realize now what a risk that was and there's another story there that I won't go into. Life was good. The progression of the dystrophy was not as rapid as predicted, but eventually we did begin to see that it was changing Jim's quality of life. He took the changes in stride.
| In 1991, Jimmy Don was in an accident in his work truck that resulted in his having to have his arm amputated. While I wanted to rant and scream about how unfair it was that he had lost his "good" arm (because he was left-handed and that's the arm he lost and the dystrophy had weakened his right arm more) Jim just accepted what had happened. He told me that we were fortunate because now he was without work just as I had started back to college to finish my degree in order to go to work. I'm still not sure how we made it financially through the years of my schooling, except that God has promised to provide our needs and He certainly did (another story to tell).
| Today we are settled into the routine of me working and Jimmy Don taking care of the house, but that's not an easy task! The disease has taken much of his strength making even lifting a soft drink can to his mouth too difficult. It has it's also affected his ability to walk (no wheelchair yet, but he does fall more frequently), and 2 years ago he had to have a pace maker installed because of the effects of myotonic dystrophy on his heart. Not because he's suffered all these things, but because he never acts like it's suffering at all-----he is and always will be not only the love of my life, but my hero as well.
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| by Becky Holloway
| | Bits about Becky
| I live and teach school in a small town in south Arkansas. My family and I are active in our church, and enjoy attending school sporting events. Our children keep my husband and I busy, and we love it. You can visit us at our site (http://www.angelfire.com/ar/becky75).
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Through Thick and Thin
| by Miranda
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| Miranda and Chris have had a close relationship for almost five years. Miranda and her family have seen quite a few times of adversity during three of those years and Miranda tells us here of the goodness of a wonderful man named Chris:
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| My boyfriend, Chris, who I have been with for almost five years, is my hero. We had met at our summer job and were basically connected at the hip from day one. Chris is my angel sent from heaven, my soul mate, my hero!
| Chris and I had been together for almost two years when my mother was diagnosed with Leukemia. It was during my senior year in high school, a few days before softball tryouts. My mother's diagnosis came very unexpectedly, which made the first several days very disorienting. I was still in a state of shock for several days after I was told.
| During that spring, my mom endured through chemotherapy and radiation to treat the leukemia. In midsummer, my aunt was able to donate her bone marrow to my mom for a bone marrow transplant. During the summer, I would work all day and spend my nights in the hospital that was about an hour away. I didn't realize how much Chris was affected by all of this until it was all over, but I now realize that he was such a support for me during those times. Chris is the kind of person who is supportive so he had always been there for me and when my mother 's condition turned rotten, he was there for me once again.
| Two days before I was scheduled to move into my dorm at college for Freshman Orientation Week, I received a phone call on my way out the door to go to work. It was my step-grandpa asking if my dad had gotten in touch with me. I had known that dad was going to the hospital that morning so I didn't really think much about it until I called the hospital. When I talked to my father, he told me that my mom had experienced several seizures over the course of the previous night and had slipped into a coma. This news came as a bigger shock than the initial news of her diagnosis. I couldn't believe that this was happening. My mom was in the coma for 9 days.
| Chris was so understanding and helpful through the entire time. He knew what I needed. He was someone to lean on and gave me a shoulder to cry on. My mom has since recuperated from the coma and as I write this she is going on three years "free" from Leukemia. (God does work in mysterious ways!)
| I often look back at all the past event and wonder how I ever made it through. Then I realize how much Chris was there for me. He has been a support for me through my mother's illness, through my 3 years, thus far, in college and is always there for me with a listening ear with helpful words of advice or with a pep talk. He is an angel sent from above, a soul mate meant for me, my hero named Chris.
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| Miranda Zimmerman
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A Heroine
| In June of 1999 a young couple celebrated their eleventh wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion, the husband, Michael, took the time to sit down and tell his wife just what she meant to him. Here then is that letter, a tribute to a lovely lady (Kristi). |
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Dear Kristi
| by Michael Power
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| Dear Kristi,
| As I look back on our eleven years of marriage, I am overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings; deep feelings; feelings that wash over me in warm waves; feelings that leave tiny hills on my skin; feelings of gratitude......
| Gratitude for sticking with me and for being so eternally patient as you waited for me to grow up. For all the nights you cried yourself to sleep hoping and praying that someday I might put your needs first instead of my selfish wants. For all the times you felt unprotected by me emotionally as we dealt with things early in our marriage. For carrying the financial burden for seven years as I tried to figure out what to do with my life. For the times I have given of myself to other people and then come home and offered you the "leftovers." For going before our Heavenly Father in prayer, and lifting me up, even when my hurtful words have made deep cuts that took many months to heal...
| For all that you do and all you have done to keep our marriage working. I am amazed at your unselfishness. Amazed that you have stuck it out with me, and for that I am thankful.
| Thankful for the incredible example you are of Godly love. Love that is based on a decision and not your feelings. Love that has looked for the best in me all these years. Love that is unconditional. Love that has seen past the immaturity. Love that has molded and shaped me into a better person. Love that has sifted through the stress of my working a third shift job and running a video production business. Oh to have half of your boundless capacity for real love. I stand in awe at your ability to love people.. Awe.....
| I don't know of a better word to describe how I feel about you. I stand in awe as I watch you raise our two boys. My mouth drops open as I watch you go through your "daily" life as a mother. The energy that is exerted. The compassion and firmness in discipline. The grind you go through every day and night pouring your heart and soul into these two little gifts from God. The bubbly feeling I get inside when I hear someone talk about our boys in a positive manner. I know they are special because of what you have invested in them. You stumble into bed each night, knowing that you are going to be up at least a few times in the night with Connor and yet each morning you dig down into your reserves and pour your energy once again into nurturing and caring for our little ones. Our children are wonderful! I don't care who hears it, and what they think about a Father bragging about his children. Our children are wonderful because of the hours you have invested in their lives, and the example you set for them everyday. My children will know how special their Mother is. They will instinctively know it, but just in case they don't, I will make it a point to tell them often. They will look back on their childhood with warm feelings and memories...
| Memories...
| The little flashes of life that come to me as I go about my daily routine. A song might trigger it, perhaps a fragrant scent; sometimes a word or phrase. I go from the mundane task I am doing and am transported to another time. The feeling of contentment and satisfaction that comes over me as I relive these moments...Spending time in the hospital as you brought our children into this world. The image of you holding Caleb and Connor for the first time. The heavenly sound of your singing. Running my fingers through your hair. Seeing Caleb talk with his many little hand gestures. Watching him make everything in his life into an "Oscar winning production. "Listening to Connor say, "Ohhhhhhhh" Feeling the softness of the back of his hair. The smell of baby lotion. Connor pulling himself along the floor without using his back legs to crawl. His lips when he is sleeping. The music in your laugh, and the love in your liquid eyes...
| All of these things pass through my mind on any given day, and I stop and thank the Lord for the life He has given me. I owe so much to you, Kristi, and I love the life we have made with each other. But I am even more excited about the future......
| The future......
| Flashes of life. They aren't just for memories you know. They are also for the future. While the memories create such a tremendous contentment in my life, the future excites me......
| I look forward to: Walking away from the third shift job and being able to hold you in my arms as we lay in bed and fall asleep listening to the crickets. Waking up in the morning instead of heading off to bed. Operating Video Imagery as my only job and working a forty hour week! Moving from Janesville and looking up at the millions of stars from the deck of our house in the country. Having our kids grow up surrounded by woods and fields and Caleb coming home with a frog in each pocket. Long walks enjoying the sounds of the birds, the smell of wildflowers, and taking in God's incredible creation with our eyes. Holding our daughter "Kelsey" for the first time and crying tears of joy. Watching our last child head off to Kindergarten knowing full well that a portion of our lives will never be the same. Loving you more every day and becoming closer as we intertwine our hopes, thoughts, and feelings. Growing old, but not caring, as long as you are by my side every step of the way as we build our dreams into reality.....
| Reality.......
| My reality right now is a dream for me. I can deal with the long work weeks, the stress, and sometimes the exhaustion. They pale in comparison to what the Lord has blessed me with. I will still dream, but I am content. Everyday problems come, but they soon melt away with the coo of my infant, the hug of my three-year-old, and the tender kiss of my bride.......
| Bring on what troubles you have world. My Kristi is by my side..... Happy Anniversary, my love!
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| About this writer:
| Michael is happily married to his high school sweetheart Kristi, and has two boys: Caleb (4 years old) and Connor (1 year old.) Several of his stories will be published this coming spring and he is working on his first book. He owns a video production business, coaches high school girls basketball, and is the founder of "Straight From the Heart," a free daily E-Zine that features inspirational and uplifting stories, often by published writers.
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