Quiet strength

Earlier this week I described my dad by these two words:  Quiet strength.  My thoughts kept coming back to those words all week. My dad was a little guy...about 5'7" in his prime....and about 5'2" when he died, but ya didn't dare mess with him. He wasn't menacing by any stretch of the imagination, but folks just had a certain respect for him.....especially some of my old high school boyfriends :)
Two times, in particular, I can easily recall, when he used his quiet strength. Sean was in 9th grade and was chosen to play on the Varsity soccer team. This angered many people who thought their older sons should be playing "up" before Sean got a chance. Sorry folks, he was THAT good. Two mouthy dads started yelling disparaging things across the field toward the coach during a game....well within ear-shot of Sean. After about a minute, my dad had heard enough. He turned and squared off with these two big men with a "Listen here!". No one but the two men heard what else he had to say to those guys, but they apologized and we never heard another word from them the rest of the season.
The other time.....across the road from my house is 1/2 mile wide tract of woods with a stream running through. It is always packed with deer and turkey, though too close to homes to hunt. My boys were babies at the time and we were all outside enjoying the nice Fall day, until some yahoo parked his truck on the road, got his gun and headed into the woods. I never saw my dad move so fast! He was going to protect those grandchildren!!  He was down off the porch and chasing after the guy yelling "You can't hunt here!" The guy turned and pointed the gun at my dad and shouted, "I'll take you out, old man!", but my dad just kept going toward him, completely unafraid. Miraculously, the guy stood motionless as my dad shared a few quiet words with him, then got in his truck and left.
You don't have to scream and fuss and lose your temper. You don't have to punch or threaten. I never asked him what he said to those guys.....all I know is that quiet strength is an amazing quality, and one that I am trying to develop in myself. 
I wish I would have told him how awesome he was while he was living. If your dad is still on Earth, please tell him today how much you appreciate him.

More dad stuff.....

My dad was not the most handy man, for sure.....but he always liked it when I tried to help him. He and I could hitch up our trailer, hand-cranked dolly, electrical and all in a matter of minutes, then park, level and hook up the water, sewer and electric at the campsites. Gosh, I loved that....
He taught me to use a hammer, wrench and screwdriver....we even built two picnic tables which are still holding together!! I always got to help put up the Christmas lights, mow the lawn and trim the bushes. I wonder if he somehow knew I would be doing these "chores" by myself for the rest of my life.
I hope my dad knows how much I appreciate him whenever I'm able to cross another task off my list....even if it's just replacing a toilet seat, sealing a leak, or cleaning the gutters. In my mind I can hear him say, "I'm proud of ya, Tige."

More things dad taught:: Be grateful !

Instead of being annoyed at your dad jingling his keys and making you rush to get ready for school, be GRATEFUL he's giving you a ride so you don't have to walk the 2 miles.
Instead of complaining about what's for dinner, be GRATEFUL your mother makes you nutritious meals every dang night of the week.
Instead of whining about the long trip in the hot car, be GRATEFUL you get to go on vacation to the beach.
Instead of fussing about having to go to work as a lifeguard every weekend during the summer, be GRATEFUL you're a good swimmer, and be GRATEFUL for your job.
He'd say, "Some day maybe you'll appreciate being made to go to church, youth group, and choir every week."
Oh dad.......I do, now. I do.

my dad taught me this....

With Father's Day approaching, I've been thinking of some things I learned from my dad.  Although he was a minister for 44 years, he wasn't "religious" as some people think the word means. He didn't go around praying and anointing everything with holy water, rather, he led by example. I never her heard him say a bad word about anyone.  THAT is difficult.....have you tried? He said we should pity people who talk poorly of others, because they have left a door wide open for the devil to work through them. Now, stop and think for a minute. Do you know anyone (maybe even yourself??) who always has something negative to say about other people? Do they mock people (even you?) behind their backs, and say cruel, hurtful, and untrue things? Do they take every opportunity to roll their eyes and be cynical? Don't think any more about it. Drop it. Forget it. Don't give them the time of day, or the opportunity to let the devil's instrument have any effect on you. That really pisses the devil off.  They can't hurt you, they are only making themselves look bad.
Have you wondered why you can catch disease, but you can't catch health? Well, by the same principle, you can catch unholiness (evil), but holiness must be chosen and pursued (just as health must be chosen and pursued). Which do YOU want? If you want to enjoy your life, choose holiness, health, and life. Hey, if you'd rather be a miserable, unhealthy witch, then choose to not even try. You won't hurt anyone but yourself and your family.
Thank you, Dad, for instilling in me that uncomfortable feeling I get when I hear someone say something awful. Thank you for letting me know who is behind it (the devil, the enemy, the evil one), and teaching me how to look beyond it, over it, and through it, so as to not give the devil any foot-hold in my life.
And, Dad.......sorry it took me so long to understand some of the lessons you taught.

Love, Tige   (short for Tiger, as he used to call me)

trivial stuff to get off my chest..

Why do petty little things bother us sometimes? Like how people pronounce certain words, and other stupid stuff. I think we allow them to get under our skin, so the more we hear them, the louder it gets until it explodes. It's about to explode right here. Pretty innocuous explosion....but then again, I am pretty boring.
The word "Always" has a dang "L" in it.  It's not pronounced "Oh-weez". Same with "Oh-most" or "Oh-ready".
What ever happened to the letter "L"? Even at the end of a sentence, it is not being pronounced. Like able, has become "A-boo." (I'm feeling better "already"!!!)
Comfortable has four syllables. Com-fort-a-ble. Not "Comf-ter-boo". Ing is being pronounced "Een". Interesting also has four syllables.  In-ter-est-ing, not "in-trist-een". Oh, here's one! Forward has an "R" in it. It is not "Fo-ward". I hear so many people on TV saying fo-ward. Bugs me. (Yes, I know that was a sentence fragment---some things I don't care about.) The poor word "Probably" gets murdered! Here is the downward progression of probably: Prob-ly, prolly, pro-y, even heard pry a few times! Poor little left-out syllables!!
Our fast-paced society shortens everything from ATM to OMG to WTF. Let's take the time to slow down and pronounce our syllables, okay?