Today my dad turns 61! I have been blessed with an amazing father. He was born & raised on a dairy farm in Northwestern Ohio. From an early age he learned to have an amazing work ethic which continues today. He was hospitalized for a month during his first semester in college which meant that he would not have passed his classes. He knew he would be drafted into the army when his grades came in, so he enlisted in the Navy as he thought he had a better chance of surviving the Vietnam war on a ship than on the ground.
He met my mom while stationed in Portland, OR (she was attending nursing school). They dated for a couple of months and decided to marry a few days before he shipped out. My mom decided that she would meet the ship anytime it was on the west coast, so for the next four years, she packed up their belongings into the back of a car and moved to the next city. Because I decided to linger in the womb, my dad had to ship out and was in the Philippines when I was born. He first saw me when I was 4 months old. Once, he and a navy buddy carried 4 large boxes of china dishes that he bought in Japan on the their laps for my mom . She wasn't able to meet the flight for some reason and he was going to hitchhike home with the boxes of china when his buddy's mom took mercy on him and gave him a ride home with all the dishes. We still have those dishes.
Some of my best memories of my dad are of us working together. Most of my life we had a wood stove for heat and I have countless memories of our family gathering wood. Dad would run the chain saw & we would stack it on the truck. When we would get home late that night, we would all work together by the back porch light & moonlight and stack the wood & cover it. Over the years we work together to remodel our homes, plant huge gardens, build barns, dig out septic tanks, lay drain fields & water pipes, dig out & seal the basement of our home, & tend to hundreds of animals. My dad did give us chore lists but if he was home, he would work along side us. I am sure there were many times that 6 kids underfoot added to his work, but he never said a word. Instead, I always felt like I was helping and along the way, he taught me so much.
My dad loves to sing. For years we would go to our friend's home and spend the day cutting wood. After dinner, Jack would get out his guitar and they would sing together. Sometimes my dad would accompany him with his harmonica. They loved the folk songs and we kids would sing along to "I'm in Love with a Big Blue Frog" and others. I still remember sitting next to him in church and sharing a hymn book with him and singing together. We would sing in the car - I learned the "Quarter Master Store" song in the car. Once, dad decided we should learn "Do What Is Right" and we sang that song every Family Home Evening for months. Not my favorite song, but I do know the words.
My dad loves to read & tell stories. One of my all time favorite memories is of my dad reading. My dad started reading to us at the close of dinner each night. We would quietly finish our food and then start our dinner chores while he read chapter after chapter. The deal was that if we were talking or arguing he would stop and none of us wanted that so we quickly learned to get our jobs done without arguing. He read "Little Britches", "As Wide As the River" and its sequel (I can't remember the name), and a bunch of the Patrick McMannus books. My dad loves to laugh and sometimes we couldn't understand him because he would be laughing so hard. Sometimes we laughed because he was laughing. "Little Britches" is one of my all time favorite books because of my dad. My dad would always go to Priesthood session of conference and tell us in detail about it the next day on our drive to Conference (over an hour each way.) He always made the stories come alive and we hung on every word. He would go hunting every year with a bunch of friends from our ward. He would keep us entertained for hours telling us all the adventures (& misadventures) that they had had.
My dad loves to dance. I didn't grow up knowing this. Oh, I remember him teaching me how to dance in the living room as a teen, but it wasn't until he re-married that I realized how much he loves to dance. And every time I see him dance it brings a smile to my face. He loves life.
More than anything, my dad is a man of integrity. He embraced the gospel and has never looked back. He loves people and serves others to the very end. He was devoted to my mom through years of illness and early death. He loves my step-mom and her kids as much as his own. He would give you the shirt off his back and the food off his table and never think twice. Once my dad gets to know you, you are family forever. His word is his bond.
Dad- I love you. Thank you for everything you have done for me and for the example you have set for me. Have a great birthday!
Love-
Julie
