Anniversary

     Today is the anniversary of my dad’s birthday. If he were alive today, he would be turning 100 years old! He died on June 22, 2014.

     My dad was an optimist, a jovial fellow who always had a joke to garner laughter. My dad was a Lutheran pastor who tended to his flock, visiting those members who were in the hospital or in their homes and unable to attend the weekly Sunday services. He made his congregation members feel like a part of the family. His sermons were always worth listening to because he incorporated stories and humor into them. My dad was a writer and a poet. Every Christmas season, he wrote and mailed out the family Christmas poem to various family members, friends, and congregation members.

     My dad was an avid reader. He enjoyed reading the newspaper, magazines, and books. My dad knew the Bible forward and backward. He could recite any verse if he was given the reference. My dad was well-versed in Greek and Hebrew as those were languages he studied in the seminary. My dad was a teacher. He used to teach all grades in the proverbial (and actual) one-room schoolhouse. When he became a pastor, he taught confirmation classes. Like all of my siblings, I was one of my dad’s students, and I still remember the day of my confirmation.

     My dad was a man of many talents. He was the builder of my mom’s ideas. She would think of ways to modify various items: a trailer’s interior, a piece of furniture, or a decoration add-on, and she would draw a “blueprint” of sorts, detailing her thoughts. My dad would build whatever modification she requested. My dad was a tennis player, beating those younger than him, but never boasting of his victories. My dad was a fisherman, casting his lines in domestic and foreign waters. My dad was a lover of entertainment. While he was pastor, he and my mom would host various faculty/staff parties in their home. My favorites were the Christmas parties, where everyone enjoyed the festivities.

     Most importantly, my dad was a loving father who shared in the responsibilities of raising his six children. He was the parent who woke me up in the morning and prodded me to get to school. He was the one who picked me up from work when I didn’t have alternate transportation. He was the one who fielded my questions about life, spirituality, and God. He was the one who told me to go back to college to become a teacher. I remember the words he said on that day. It was the greatest epiphany for me. It was as if the heavens opened up and the rays of God shone down on us. I knew, at that very moment, that my dad was right, and I did go back to college and earn a teaching degree. During my weekly calls to my parents, my dad would always tell me how proud he was of me, how proud he was that I was a teacher.

     I love you, Dad! Happy Birthday!