It has been in my heart for awhile to share about my dad; however, when I would
“think”, about it, I just really didn’t understand the point. Finally, in the
last few days I began seeing some things more clearly. As some of you know, God
began separating me from my family a few years ago. And as I have shared before,
my dad and I were extremely close, all our family was, but it was just different
with dad. My dad is a very big tall guy and a strong man physically I believe.
As a kid, I use to many times watch him break horses, and some of those times
were just simply out in the road. He was pretty much a fearless man as well. It
wasn’t anything for him to see something that needed to be done and absolutely
get after it; whether that be something someone needed help with or jumping on a
horse and taking off through thick brush after a runaway cow. My mom would
always worry about him getting hurt. I remember one time when I was a kid, we
were on our way to Tulsa. We passed through a local city and someone’s bull had
gotten out of the trailer because the gate had come unhitched. My dad jumped out
and started helping try to get the bull out of the street. I just remember
thinking, oh gosh; probably embarrassed. It is these kinds of things that I will
share that I appreciate where I have come from. My grandmother was born and
raised in Bonham, TX. My granddad was a basketball coach who moved to TX to
coach, met and married my grandmother, and my dad was born. They later moved
back to Henryetta, OK. My dad was the only one besides my mom who was not
involved in education and did not go to college. My mom only actually attended
for a few months I believe. As a kid my dad was always involved in outdoors. He
has shared many stories with me along with grandparents about how he was as a
child. Once when he was around 4/5 he was riding a Shetland pony. Apparently
this Shetland was mean, (I think most are) but dad would still ride him. One day
it took off with him into a barb wire fence and wrapped him up in it. My grandma
began pulling him out of the barb wire and talks about how she was covered in
blood he had lost so much. My grandpa pulled up and they got him to the
hospital. I can see now that God took care of him. When dad was 18, he and mom
were married. About a year later or so later, dad was with a friend and had an
extremely bad car accident. He was in the hospital for a very long length of
time and later got meningitis. Again God was with him and he survived. These are
just a couple of things I believe God has been showing me where He has been with
us/me even as a child, dad as well. Mom and dad were just kids 18 and 19 when
they were married and had me. At the age of 15, my dad began working at a large
chain grocery store. When mom and dad got married, he was still working there,
as well as bailing, hauling hay, auctioneering, and who knows what else. I do
not ever remember a day when my dad did not have a job or work. Even when he was
off of his “job”, he would still be working. My mom cooked dinner every night,
and there were nights we would wait on my dad to get in from working, eat dinner
with him, then he may have to go back out to finish bailing hay till ten or
eleven o’clock, only to get back up at 4:00 a.m. to go into the grocery store.
My dad would talk about things that I am sure I kind of brushed off, although
today I am appreciative of the way my dad was, his values, and his heart. Dad
believed that you had to work to get anywhere. When he and mom were married they
went through some hard times being young with a new baby. My dad said once there
were nights they only ate cans of corn for a few nights in a row. He would also
share too that he and mom would work X number of jobs if it came to that before
they would ever go on welfare. He did not believe that was right for them to
ever do. My great grandmother has also shared about during the Great Depression
stories of how they worked for everything they had, managed whatever money they
had, and didn’t buy things they couldn’t pay for. This was the kind of heart my
family had and a strong work ethic. My dad was someone who would set down at
dinner and talk to me about my day, my mom’s day, and his. When my sister came
along this continued. Dad would talk to us about important things as well. Dad
was very adamant when the abortion topic ever came up, which it would, he would
not hesitate to say it was murder. I don’t know how much I even considered
things that were said, but I can see God had put that in my dad’s heart. Dad
continued to work his way up through this grocery store. Therefore many people
that were there watched my dad grow up in that store, and when I came along it
was the same with me. Dad was someone who it didn’t matter if you were dressed
in a suit or dressed in rags he was still the same, and many people respected
that, and trusted him. There were times when certain customers would need help
with something or would ask dad for a small amount of money. If he believed it
was right, he would help, and many times did. I remember once mom was asking
about something and come to find out dad had given 100 dollars to someone. My
mom was like what?!? Turns out an elderly lady who needed money for groceries
asked dad for money, I think all he had was 100. He gave it to her on her word
that she would pay him back at the end of the month. I can tell you he didn’t
care if she did or didn’t. This went on for quite awhile with her always paying
him back at the end of the month. At some point, Dad was eventually put into
management at this grocery store. While in this position he would at times do or
give to those who worked for him and had been with him for many years. Knowing
dad there are probably things that he just did and never told anyone about. But
this is what I believe God has been showing me: Blessed is he that
considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD
will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth:
and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. I can see now
where God has done this in my dad’s life. As I have looked back, I am thankful
to God for my life and the grace He gave us. We never did without, but what we
had my dad worked for every bit of it. I remember my mom would sometimes say,
“Whatever happens we always make it in the end.” I know that had to be God that
we “always made it”. Today dad works as a “roughneck” in the oil drilling
business, and has been blessed in this job. I know God has upheld him and done
things in this job for him as well. Only God knows where my dad’s heart is
concerning Him, but I thank God for the dad he gave me, and that the Lord has
watched over this family all these years. I pray that God continues to show
forth His grace, mercy, and lovingkindness toward my family, and that their
hearts be changed to believe God as He has begun changing mine. It has also been
shared many times about the hearts of the children being turned to the fathers,
and the fathers to the children. I believe God will and to a degree is beginning
this process for us. Thank God.
God Bless - Misty
March 15, 2010