Thoughts on Dad, 14 years later

Yesterday was the day on which my daddy went to be with the Lord, 14 years ago. My sister Jodi wrote a really great post about him that I am re-posting excerpts of here, with a few inserted thoughts (I'm in bold). It's lengthy, so it falls in the "for our family record" category. There are so many, many stories and memories that a post like this about your father is daunting, to say the least. I could tell a million of my own anecdotes, but this year, I'm letting Jodi's post do (most of) the talking.

"It's been 14 years since he died and he was just 49.  That's getting younger every year I grow older.  He used to call me "babydoll-sweetheart-love of mine."  I was his most favorite daughter.  Later I found out he also called Emily and Mom by the same endearment, but I know he meant it most when he said it to me.  (I'm sure they would say they felt the same.)"

[I thought I was the only one Dad called that until I read this post. I think we were all his favorite. Though I'm the youngest, so you do the math. ;)]

"I read an article in Good Housekeeping (Nov. 2011).  The author said, "A study of successful women showed they all had one thing in common: fathers who listened to them."  I smiled when I read that.  I believe my dad raised confident women and made us feel treasured.  I'm so grateful for that.

I've been thinking about how Dad used to hold me by my ankles and wrists and swing me from the ground beneath his feet to up over his head.  He would swing me up and then launch me in the air and catch me.  That continued until I was close to Katie's age.  Then I remember we switched to a new trick... I would stand on his shoulders and dive off while he held my ankles.  He would stop me hanging upside down.  Or something like that.  I remember one time standing on his shoulders a long time trying to work up the nerve to dive.  This was in the living room, not the pool...  He was very strong.  He could do a one arm push up.  One time I was between 7 and 10 and I was so proud that I could do a push up too.  So he challenged me and strapped a broom to my back and told me to do it again.  I think I actually did it!  But it was really hard.  That was my Army dad."

[Doing tricks with Daddy was also a favorite- I thought I was doing the most brave, dangerous flips at what felt like fifteen feet up in the air. Dad never challenged me to a push up with a broom, but my brother made me try it with a yard stick down the back of my shirt.  Guess we know where he got the concept.]

"He was a good water skier.  He would ski with two adult skis (which seemed incredibly long to me as a kid) and ski wayyyyy outside the wake.  Then he would zoom back across the wake to the other side and pull as far out as he could go. Dad looked so strong skiing.  He had big biceps and strong legs.  Along those lines, Dad indulged me when I went crazy for water skiing in college.  I remember once he took me skiing in March.  I wore a wet suit and I think I skied a fairly short time, but he didn't complain.  I appreciated that he understood my passion for water skiing."

[Jodi learned to ski at three, and I was the slow kid who didn't want to try it until I was the ripe old age of five. But I still loved it, and I remember Dad took me skiing on school nights in October until after the sun went down, when the air was cooler than the water, and there was no one else out of the water. Magical nights.]

"Dad loved to teach kids new things.  I don't know how many kids he taught to ski.  He was determined they wouldn't quit until they got it.  And I know he taught at least a few to shoot skeet.

Dad used to dress up as a clown at our birthday parties and push kids in the wheelbarrow for rides.  I'm sure that took some humility and deep commitment to us kids to swallow his pride and be silly.  That sticks in my mind.

Dad was great with numbers.  He had a business mind.  I got that from him.  I enjoy the administrative details of business."  [P.S. I missed that numbers gene. Think it got split 50/50 between my other siblings.] "That was Dad's last position at Eagle Ranch, I believe.  I think he was the one to keep the business side of Eagle Ranch running smoothly so Eddie, the visionary, could do his ministry.  I've done that for a few employers too and worked for visionaries.  Someone certainly needs to keep them in line.

Backing up to earlier, though, he was a powerful businessman in the '80s.  I know he was influential at Johnson and Bryan and one of my favorite memories is walking into his office.  I could walk up to his huge desk and climb into his lap.  He would stop what he was doing to love on me.  And I felt special that as powerful as Dad was, I could walk right into his office without an appointment.  It's the best image I have of what I envision entering the throne room of God is like.  It's intimidating and you wonder if that big powerful God up there on that throne will have time for you, but then He invites you to crawl up in his lap and tell Him what's going on.

Dad was a successful businessman partly because of how he treated clients. The way Dad approached business was personal.  He remembered and asked about their family.  Several people commented on that after Dad died, what an impact that made.  I know Dad was a great employer and coworker.  Everyone from his office was stunned and saddened when he announced he was quitting to go work in ministry.  I think he left a big hole in their office.  Dad treated everyone with respect and courtesy. 

Dad became a Christian in his 30s.  I'm not sure exactly how old, maybe 38 or 39.  I am grateful that Al Whittinghill had the guts to challenge Dad's beliefs.  He was the first one to question whether Dad truly understood what it meant to have a relationship with Christ, to accept Him as your Savior, acknowledging there's nothing we can do to earn salvation.  It was through that conversation that Dad was reborn.  Before then, he seemed to be focused pretty intensely on his career, success, and money.  After that, we saw a dramatic change and Dad was after what was on God's heart.  He grew quickly in his walk with the Lord.  He led my brother and then me to the Lord.  I am eternally grateful to Dad for explaining the gospel clearly to me.  He helped me get started in my walk with God when I was 12 and I still learn new things about God.  I am so glad that I know for a fact that Dad is in heaven and we will be reunited one day.  That makes the time apart easier."

[I don't exactly remember this major family revival since I'm a decent bit younger. But in doing the math, when I came to know the Lord at the age of five, it was in this same season of life. Though my memory is that everyone was a believer and I wanted to understand what they were talking about. You can't discount how much those young ears are listening to older conversations!]

"I think there were 800 people at Dad's funeral.  Isn't that amazing?  It makes me proud to see the impact that he had, the legacy he left.  He influenced so many lives.  And he was my dad.

Miss you, Dad."