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Sunday, January 29, 2012

A Life of Service and Love

My post today is in honor of a man who had a great impact on my life, my Daddy.  Dad was human, like everyone else...not perfect.  But he left me a great heritage that I hope to emulate.

Dad had several health struggles:  Kidney stones, multiple allergies, migraines, heart problems, several strokes, etc.  But his own struggles never kept him from serving others.  My Mom has had MS for about 45 years.  Up until about 5 years ago, he cared for her at home, while also working to make a living for them.  A little over 4 years ago, we moved Mom to a local care center, and moved Dad in with us.  Mom was needing 24 hour care, and it became too physically difficult for him to care for her.  It broke his heart to have to leave her in a care center.  But we all knew that this was an unwanted necessity.

Dad's living with us was truly a blessing.  We never had to take care of him...he took care of us!  He always worried about being a burden, but it was impossible for him to be a burden.  He was truly a joy.  He worried about me and all my health problems.  So, knowing that I would have much to do on my days off from work, he would take care of the laundry, vaccuuming, etc. on the day before my days off.  No matter how often I told him that I could take care of it, he continued to give his time and efforts to blessing my life.  He also wanted to help my husband in some way, so he mowed our lawns and took care of the flower garden. 

But he didn't stop there.  He always wondered who he could bless in some simple way.  Often, I would find him mowing a neighbor's lawn.  Sometimes, he would even attach the lawn mower to an old motorized wheelchair, and tow it several blocks to mow a friend's lawn.  On trash day, after the trash trucks emptied the cans, he would walk up and down the block to take everyone's trash cans in for them.  He still didn't stop there.  Often, he would walk several blocks to replace the trash cans of strangers back into their yards.  I often heard him lament that he wasn't doing enough for others.  Giving service was constantly on his mind.  Many of our neighbors still comment about his kindness to them.




These are only a few examples of my Daddy's kindness and caring for others, but hopefully, they will give you a little view into the life of a simple man with a great heart.  I hope to be able to honor him with my life, by perhaps touching and blessing the hearts of a few.  He is truly a hero in my eyes.

6 comments:

  1. He was certainly a wonderful man! I only wish he was still around to have met my girls. :)

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  2. This took me a while to read without crying. It is so touching and sweet. His life and the legacy he left clearly had a huge impact on many people. That is a father t be proud of and thankful for for sure! Thank you for sharing this and I can see his life work in you without a doubt. You are a lot like him and I am hoping to be as well.

    Blessings to you Cindy!

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  3. Remember buying things for families that didn't have much money at Christmas or Thanksgiving, and leaving them in a box on their front porch, then when everyone was well hidden, one of us would ring the doorbell and dive in some bushes while we watched the family find our gift to them? I don't think we really had any money ourselves, but we didn't notice when we were giving to others. Good times, great memories, and great examples!
    Loretta :o)

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  4. What a wonderful post....you are honoring your Dad by sharing him with us! I never knew my Dad in my adult years..only till 10 years old, so when I read this I am happy for you to be so blessed!

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  5. That is a remarkable inheritance you have

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  6. I loved reading this post! What an inspiration - it sounds like your Dad concentrated on what he could do and didn't get stuck on what he couldn't do.

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