Our Wedding Day- And Father's Day June 21, 1959

Waving the Dad Flag on Father's Day

[quoting David]

Personal note to LGH readers: 

This is a long post-but keep in mind my first and foremost intended audience is my FAMILY 

 

With that said...I am happy to share with blog followers and will continue my effort to be reasonably transparent...hoping there may be a few crumbs for an extended circle of friends at all levels...local, casual viewers, far away old friends from earlier years, faithful bloggers who 'get' what I am willing to lay out honestly here. I will always try to avoid leaving you on an emotional overload or embarrassing you with 'too much information'.

 

Please, take what you can use and be understanding and accepting of the overflow.

 ----

 

The Harrison House, est. June 21, 1959/also Father's Day.- 56 years ago today.  I could not have dreamed up the Father our four children grew up with..IT WAS A GOD THING!...

 

Steve, David, Johnny & Deanna's  Dad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 He was a God Fearing man who  embraced  responsibility whole heartedly, never backing away from it. I recall his pointing out to me how one could recognize that a church was a body of God fearing people. He accepted all the statements we claim of God's love but he never ruled out The Sovereignty of God...his all powerful right to do with us as He willed especially in regard to consequences ...disobedience.



He cared about the spiritual condition of loved ones...in mid life made at least 3 face to face visits out of state where we lived to discuss the issue of following Christ with a loved one....

 

 

Ted didn't think he was to be first a FRIEND to our children. He understood his role as a father of children. He understood [I concur] that we must focus on the parenting first...then we can have the reward/joy of being FRIENDS as they are grown up.  This has been true in our lives.  Oftentimes I would have preferred to take the easy way and be a pal...we both knew this was order turned upside down. When I would waffle he would get 'us' back on track.

 

 

 

Ted listened more than he talked & never seemed compelled to try to impress others with what he learned in the listening. Ted was not intimidated by nor did he try to impress those with position or wealth.

He sometimes seemed rigid in his expectations but had a short memory..very forgiving.  He refused to carry grudges,realizing it would defeat him. 

 

Ted the Dad would take a stand for his children but not to cover up or erase responsibility when they were wrong. 

 

 He was a man of strength and conviction but a man of peace. He learned to choose his battles in life wisely. He seemed to have a good sense of when to STAND HIS GROUND and when to QUIETLY WALK AWAY FROM CONFLICT.

At the end of his life [22 months ago] he longed for nothing - not material possessions, not luxurious travel, etc..he was so amazingly CONTENT. His response was: "There is nothing I want. I have everything that matters."

 

 

Creation was not wasted on Ted ..he 'got it' totally...relished in Creation. Genuinely loved and appreciated the Old Testament , saying one needs to know the Beginning to fully appreciated the Ending [Genesis- Revelations]

As the years passed, looking over my shoulder examining the man and our lives I recognized the word Balance showed up repeatedly in my reflections on my husband, Steve, David, Johnny & Deanna's Father. In retrospect I saw balance  in so many areas of his life.

 

 

Two easy examples of this:  He very much enjoyed the outdoors and appreciated the sport of hunting and enjoyed good sporting events like football especially..if it were a good competition. It never took over his life nor was it a priority over his family. If it turned  into a  bad game he would rather read a book than devote time to the bad game...even if it were Alabama & Auburn were playing.

 

 

He liked deer hunting but he wasn't a crazy man boring you with it.  He would say "Sure I enjoy deer hunting but I enjoy being in the outdoors perhaps more...often think if I had a camera I would like to be taking pictures."  God's great outdoors was one of those places where he was constantly learning. ..lifelong.

 

 

As an avid reader   he didn't use it as a way of hiding out and avoiding family and while he expressed opinions regarding advantages of being a reader he never forced it or preached it to us. If a book was a good read at first, he could always appreciate it a second, sometimes a third time-
 

 

Of course  he enjoyed good food but he was not a person you would spot "pigging out" as we describe it. Nor would it totally ruin his day if his wife served up a meal that totally missed the mark and mercy me how often that happened. I confess-but he didn't trash me over the issue of 'burned toast' so to speak.

 

Of course we know the man was not a perfect man...but his heart's desires were looking in the right direction -Christ.

 

He thought he was ordinary- We knew better! He had no idea his absence  would leave such a big hole in our world. We know now for sure.

 

 

Once I felt the need to remind him to smile more...after that he deliberately did just that and omygoodness what a wonderful smile!

 

Not all of us can rejoice in the blessing of such a Father...Our 4 Children CAN!

 

See More

 

 

This paragraph Is redundant if you are a regular reader...but I cannot apologize- The smile is my 'forever Smile' as I am remembering.

The cane still hangs at the head of our bed where he hung it in those last days when he had to use it more often.

I am wearing his watch everyday- his 2009/50th anniversary gift wedding band is resized and worn on my right hand .

That's Pop's Rocking chair in the same place today and I think the shirt he's wearing was given to him by a daughter in law Loretta.  We don't idolize these physical material things but beautiful Rememberings of a loved one - What a sweet thought God as you were 'in the moment' of Creation - WOW  Again! That reminds me of the song that ponders "While you were on the cross you were thinking of ME"

 

 





 

 

 

"Just go on with your life, Jonell."  [tph-2013]