Over the course of my life, I've had three Dads- a biological father, a step-father who raised me until he died when I was 12, and my present step-father, whom my mother married when I was 17.
Add to that my grandfather, my great grandfather, and my Uncle Donnie, who have been my constant father figures since birth, and we're up to six dads. When I married my husband fourteen years ago, I was blessed with two of the best fathers-in-law in the world. All total, now that I am counting, I guess that I've had eight dads! I have decided to share some quotes from each one of my daddies this Father's Day. I hope their wisdom will inspire you and give you something to call on when times are rough or maybe just make you laugh. Here goes!
"You know what this is? This is the hair ribbon that you gave me when you were three years old. I have carried it next to Aunt Shelia's ribbon from high school in my wallet since the day that you gave it to me in 1974. Do you remember when you gave me that ribbon? Do you know what that means? It means I love you." - Uncle Donnie
"You don't have to go to Church to get to heaven, Tadpole. Sunday School will get you there just fine." - Pa Julian (Great Grandfather)
Slapping his hand on his leg "Chicken in a bread pan picking out dough....granny does your dog bite, no, chile no." -Pa Julian (Great Grandfather)
"There ain't but one baseball team in this here United States, and that's the Atlanta Braves, Tadpole." -Pa Julian (Great Grandfather)
"You can't make a racehorse out of a jackass, or a silk purse out of a sow's ear." - Granddaddy
"There were twelve tribes in Israel, twelve tribes."- Granddaddy
"Have you read Ezekiel 38 and 39 about Gog and Magog? It outlines how Russia and China are going to destroy the world. You can read it today, we will discuss it tonight." This happened over and over and over again. - Granddaddy
"Sometimes, it's not good to get your picture in the paper." - Pop (father-in-law)
"Well, yeah, it all looks good on paper (discussing our business plan). But, there's always a fly in the ointment, be ready for that." - Pop (father-in-law)
"Sooner or later, we've all got to climb Fool's Hill. Just don't climb Idiot's Mountain, okay?" - Terry (Biological Father)
"In order to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, you must be born again." -Granddaddy
"You don't have to call me Daddy if you don't want to, but I'm going to call you my daughter, if that is okay with you." -Jim (step-dad #1)
"This dinner was absolutely wunderbar!" -Papa Earle (Jimbo's step-dad)
"Well, we had to get home and we had been to preaching every day at Mt. Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia, so me and Sam know'd how to preach. So, we rented a tent and had us a revival and that paid our way home. That's how come I'm called "Preacher" to this day." - Pa Julian (Great Grandfather)
"Your Mama is a difficult woman, I know that. But, we're all we've got and I love you." -Kermit (step-dad #2)
When he was sick and having little strokes toward the end of his life, my Granddaddy would always say this to me:
"Did you make five million or twelve million dollars today?" I would always say twelve million and he would respond with "Wooohoo Boy! I mean, you are rolling in it!"
Bless his sweet heart, he really believed that I was that smart. He called me "Boy" my entire life, even though he had walked me down the aisle and held my baby immediately after I gave birth.
In my collection of Daddies, I have a surgeon, an inventor, and a Bible scholar; a semi-pro baseball player, tent-revival evangelist and politician; an Auburn University baseball pitcher and forester; an over the road truck driver and town historian; a Vietnam veteran, who was the most heavily decorated soldier in my home county; a CEO, who is the sharpest dresser and best bartender that I know; a boiler maker, who was the smartest redneck that the world never really got a chance to know; and a brilliant engineer: a man who survived an alligator attack and lost his arm- bravely overcoming his circumstances to reinvent himself over and over again in order to accommodate his new limitations.
I am so thankful for the lessons and love that I have received from each of them.
Wishing you and your Dad or Daddies a wonderful Father's Day!
And as my Granddaddy would say when I always told him that I loved him...
"Same to ya, boy!"
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