"A Father holds his child's hand as she learns to walk, then teaches her how strong her legs are as she lets go...."




I hope all my friends and family have had a wonderful Father's Day! Mine was a journey down memory lane...literally. I met my father at my aunt's home, a place I remember fondly, because I grew up right across the lake from her. As I approached the area I was flooded with old memories. Carpenter's Lake and Kingfisher Lake are beautiful, and today radiant with color. I cannot wait to get my paints out! Tomorrow I will have lots of new work to show!! Today, however, I honor my dad...my other inspirer of my soul.

Like all great family gatherings, our table was filled with stories and traditions. I kept slipping back in time thinking how my dad used to always take me to school...every morning, crawl up in his truck, listen to Paul Harvey and off I went. School was very important to him, and unless I was dying, which I never was, I was never allowed to stay home. Dad worked very hard and felt education was the foundation to future hard work and the defining point if you would be sentenced to hard labor, or if you would be the "warden"....so to speak.

I have wonderful memories of him quizzing me endlessly on States and Capitals, but I still know them, or how he never tired of asking me my multiplication tables! Geez! But, I still know them. Dad always enjoyed helping me on school projects too. I think somewhere in his attic is the old wood cut-out of Central America that he cut while I glued the dyed rice on it for borders, etc! Dad is a walking resource on leaves, trees, and plants in general, so never did a day go by when he wasn't showing the differences and the way to tell. His love for animals was absolutely drilled in to me...perhaps too much on that one! The number of pets, both adopted and rescued over the years is countless. Dad always knew how to care for them all, regardless if it were the fox pups, quail, baby squirrels, our old pony, and ohhh...so many dogs!

He was strict, I wasn't one of those girls at the skating rink on the weekends, instead I was tamping fence posts on the farm, or picking beans, but when an educational trip to Mexico was presented he never batted an eye, he stuck me on the plane and off I went! Yes, my dad certainly held my hand when I learned my way, but more importantly, Dad, you gave me my strength, determination, my pride. Thank you Daddy!

Happy Father's Day....especially to mine...he is a great one!