A Father's Gift
My
father is a good man--kind and gentle, filled with compassion; a man
with an easy manner, a quick intelligence, and a quiet confidence. A
man slow to anger, and quick to forgive. Throughout my storm-filled
childhood, my sainted father was the rock I clung to in the wake
of Mama's rages. He was my comforter, my salvation, my friend.
My father in his younger years was a true jack-of-all trades; even now, I
marvel at the scope of his abilities. He could roof a house or repair a
radiator with equal ease; he could paint walls or plow a field, cut the
lawn or lay a tile floor. He could fix an engine, bake a cake, build a
barn, and throw a horseshoe. He could repair TVs and radios. There
was nothing my father could not do; he was always my hero.My father was a good provider and a generous man. He worked two jobs for most of my childhood, so that we could have all that we needed and most of what we wanted. Many times I saw him take the last two dollars from his wallet and hand it to a stranger in need. He was a very giving man; he gave freely and from the heart.
One of the best gifts I ever received came from my father, and it was the following advice:
"Never let anybody tell you that you can't do something because you're a girl. You can learn to do anything you want, if you want it bad enough. You might not be the best at it--nobody can be the best at everything--but if you try hard enough and long enough, you can learn to do anything well. Everything you learn is yours forever--nobody can take that away from you; so learn all that you can!"
My father is a wise man, and I took his words to heart. I learned to draw and to sew, to do algebra and to diagram sentences. I learned to saw and hammer and paint. I learned to cook and to can, to farm and to fish, to ride a horse and to paddle a kayak. I learned to make baskets and to build barns, to cut lawns and to fix holes in radiators. Some of my knowledge came from books, some was acquired from strangers; the most important things things were taught to me by my wonderful father. I learned to love unconditionally. I learned to laugh often, at life and at myself. I learned to forgive the unforgivable.
The ever-growing tapestry of my life is woven with varied and vibrant colors; each thread is something I have read, or learned to do, or experienced along the way. My life has been so much richer, so much fuller than it might have been, had I not been given that advice. And it came from the greatest gift of all--my father.
Happy Father's Day.
