HAPPY FATHER'S DAY IN HEAVEN


Daddy has been gone from this earth for over four years now. It's funny how he's been in my dreams as we head into Father's Day. I'm so thankful that he occasionally visits me in that way.  

We rarely agreed on politics or religion, but we enjoyed playing golf together. During our weekend golf games, politics and religion were never discussed. As I grew older, I respected my father's beliefs and stopped challenging him. Nevertheless, my father knew by how I lived my life that we weren't on the same page. He accepted me anyway, although I know he disapproved. I hope with all my heart that he wasn't ashamed of me. I can't take any of my behavior back, and I would be heartbroken if I hurt him. 

When we played golf, Daddy shared stories from his childhood and freely gave his opinion about human nature. He believed people could be categorized as either givers or takers. Unfortunately, this left no room for all the gray areas people fall into. Daddy's childhood was hard and unloving, but I remember him as a devoted son to his mother. He was constantly repairing or building something at her home. We made frequent trips to her house about 100 miles away. I was the lucky one who got to sleep with my grandmother, who always told fascinating stories from her childhood in her high-pitched voice that I would never hear again.

While I miss my father, I am glad he doesn't have to worry about the state of our country. I firmly believe that we would finally agree on many things concerning politics and religion. My father would never support our country's blatantly immoral and divisive leader. He was a man who had a strong religious and moral compass. He supported racial equality and would understand or empathize with the people peacefully protesting. Since he spent the last year of his life in a locked unit in the Veteran's Home in Temple, I'm glad in a strange way that he's not there right now with the potential of getting COVID-19 and dying a cruel death from it. 50% of our country's deaths from the virus have been residents in nursing homes. When Daddy was ready to die, he simply quit eating and drinking. When and how he died was his choice. I admired him for the way he chose to leave us.

I know Daddy's at peace now. I almost hear him whispering, "It'll be alright, sweetheart. The world will right itself one day. Just keep doing what you're doing. Speak up for what is right and good." Tomorrow, I will wish him Happy Father's Day from earth to heaven.


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