Saturday, June 20, 2015

DadderBoy

Today,  just an ordinary day (the day before Father's Day), I look through old photos & reminisce about my childhood. In particular, I've been looking at photos with my DadderBoy. That was my special name for him. He was tall, dark, & handsome. Although, as a child, I never thought about that.

He was a character in so many ways. I think he lived everyday of his life to the full, whether it was tying up his beef steak tomatoes or caring for an elderly person in his life. He spent most of his summer mornings fishing on the pier. Some mornings, he'd bring home 70 perch. He'd sit & clean every one of them. A fish fry always followed, hushpuppies & all.

He was a Godly man (in his own way). A servant heart to be sure & a love for people. He delighted in supporting his friends on the school board. He could silk screen signs faster than a payed professional. He loved his job almost every day. He picked up his brief case, kissed my mom good bye, & headed out the door to school. He taught high school math for 30 years. He defended the needy. Most every night & early morning were spent grading papers.

He grew up on a farm, & the farm never left him. He planted a garden every year. He watered it diligently, & we enjoyed the yield. He took his 3 young children to buy a family dog. He took us to our doctor & dentist appointments. He took me to buy new shoes. He told me a I was cute, & I knew it didn't matter to him if I couldn't sing a note in tune.

He didn't much like helping me with math because he felt it wasn't fair to the other students. Every summer, we loaded up the station wagon & took a trip. We always went by car. Because he was a teacher, we didn't have time constraints so we saw the beauty along the way. He'd stop at a rest stop while my mom pulled out the 3 day old ham & cheese. He's eat it like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

The best part of him was that I always knew he loved me. I knew he liked me too. I never doubted either of those 2 facts a day in my life. He'd paint my bedroom the color I wanted it. He even paneled it as I grew older. He was my chauffeur. He made home made ice cream. It was my job to sit on the top of the barrel while he did the churning. He built beautiful campfires. Yes… he was my DadderBoy.

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