MY FATHER AND MY BLOG
Only a few of you who know me personally know that I was raised by my “MOM”, a strong Christian woman. My dad was absent; but, she did a great job of trying to keep me on the straight and narrow. I really do not know who to credit or blame for my writing of this blog, but my “Father” had a lot to do with what little ability I have for the writing of this blog. I would like to give credit where credit is due– so I’ll take a stab at it.
My “Father” was and still is instrumental in my having a back bone and being able to stand up to adversity. He always taught me to think for myself and to believe in “Truth and Justice”. I guess that is where some of my attitude comes from about this blog. He taught me that “the truth will set you free” and now I write about “the truth” on a regular basis. He taught me that “hard work would pay dividends” and it has proven to be true. He taught me rules to follow through out life that would always lead me in the right direction. The knowledge he passed to me has helped in my relationship with my wife of 38 years. He has taken the time in the past to show me how to befriend people and to respect their friendship. He also taught me that if I or my family faced danger, that I was to “strike out with a mighty right hand and sword”; all the while, knowing when to turn the other cheek for lesser offenses. He taught me not to chase the dollar but to put forth effort and to recognize and accept opportunity and to benefit from it when “it comes knocking at your door”. He taught me to believe in myself and to have the confidence and conviction in my beliefs to withstand the “naysayers”. He taught me the “joy of giving” and the benefits that are derived from the helping of others. I could go on about many more things he has taught me; but, I think you get the picture. Now that you know of some of “His” teachings of me, I would like to tell you a little about “Him”. Hopefully, you will find the following to be enlightening.
He was born into a small family many years ago. The family was not rich by any standards. He grew up to be a carpenter by trade. He was not a highly educated man by today’s standards but possessed a wealth of knowledge. He was an articulate man and was not bashful about speaking to groups of people. He had an “air” about him and could get people to not only listen but to follow his words. He spent a lot of time in fishing villages, so maybe that is where I got my love of fishing. He was a simple man with little in worldly possessions but rich in character and was really into morals and ethics. He lived his life and went out as he came into this world–with honor. Although I write a lot, he was more of a speaker of truth than a writer of truth. Although he wrote and can be credited with some very profound statements, he was an orator not a writer. He was written of in many “books” and was quoted in many “books” but was not given credit to writing books himself. It has always amazed me that a man with so much to say did not write more than he did during his time here on earth. Although I never got to hear not even one of his speeches, I have read accounts of all of them in the “books” of which I spoke earlier. He was an appreciative man and gave credit for his success to his “Father” just as I give credit to my “Father” for my success. He had a small group of close friends with which he “broke bread” and sipped wine.
Like I said before, he was not a writer, but he was written about in many books. He appeared as the main character in one book. If you haven’t figured out the plot to this story, let me explain it for you. The book in which he was the main character is the “BIBLE” and “HE” is “OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN”. If you have not read it, please accept this invitation to do so. You see I did not get an invitation, but was shamed into reading it when I discovered that my daughter and her friend had read it from cover to cover when they were eighteen years old. I got busy and am glad I did. The “book” is full of “COMMON SENSE”. So, it only makes “COMMON SENSE” that it should be read by all. And by the way, when I mentioned He taught me rules to live by; those rules for life are “THE TEN COMMANDMENTS” and they really are “COMMON SENSE” rules for life.
My Daddy's Common Sense 