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My dad was always one of the most accepting people in my
life, and I’ve always known that I was his pride and joy. Before I was born, my
dad really wanted a girl and asked the Lord specifically for one. The Lord
graciously granted this prayer, perhaps because He knew my parents would have
no more children.
My dad was 42 when I was born, and though a sibling would
have been nice in some ways, my dad felt I was enough—possibly for more than
one reason. But I was always, as he said, “the apple of his eye”. He had other
pet names for me too, such as Papoose and “my girl”. I was truly Daddy’s little
girl, and we had a very special bond. “Big Moose” was one of my terms of
endearment for my dad.
From the time I was little, I would get excited when my dad
arrived home from work, and I know this was a bright spot in this hard-working
man’s life. My dad, though he attended Bible college and graduated with a
degree in Theology (and a Minor in Psychology), never felt he could use his
training in the real world. In many ways, he lacked confidence and was bound by
fears.
In the same way, I have struggled in my own life with issues
of confidence and multiple fears. I know that much of this came from growing up
with my dad and the spiritual atmosphere of fear that often surrounded him. For
my dad, much of this seemed to come from a lack of affirmation he felt when
growing up. So I know he made an effort to always affirm me.
Dad wanted me to love scientific things the way that he did.
Often, he would launch into a “discussion” of a scientific nature. A couple
minutes into the monologue, I had already tuned out but would continue with the
obligatory “uh huh…yeah…oooh…right,” and my dad never seemed to notice that I
was disengaged. I humored him out of love and appreciation for who he was and
what his passions were. He was a writer, an inventor, and a studious Bible
scholar.
Dad liked to tease…and tickle, sometimes to my irritation,
but most of the time I enjoyed it. And I have fond memories of him playing
Anagrams with me. This was a word game played with red letter tiles, which led
to my life-long love of word games.
My dad had a keen sense of humor and loved to tease and tell
jokes. He also had a great memory, a trait that he passed on to me. He could
remember the smallest details. Some of the greatest things that I have gained
from my dad are my humor, my ability to have a serious discussion, and a love
for the beach. When I was a young girl, one of my dad’s favorite activities was
beach-combing. In addition to these qualities, he instilled in me a desire to
know the Bible and a love of music. He loved to talk about the Scriptures and
to sing, some of the same things I still enjoy.
Dad loved vanilla ice cream; unlike me, he loved to have his
picture taken; he enjoyed gardening (especially planting potatoes); and he felt
at home in the great outdoors.
For years my dad cut wood, cleared brush, and the like, but
for 15 years or so he and my mom cut young alder trees into poles that were
sold to the aluminum plant in Troutdale to stir the aluminum pots. This work
was done with a machete. It was this line of work that was the backdrop for one
of dad’s and my best bonding moments.
I was 13 years old. In the course of working outdoors, Dad had
cut his leg open with a machete. Rather than incur an ungodly hospital bill, he
suggested to me, “You could stitch it
up.” Though this was a little frightening, I knew my dad was pretty tough.
After numbing his leg with ice as best I could and sterilizing the needle, I
fixed up his leg and he proclaimed me “a good surgeon”. A couple weeks later, I
removed the stitches and his leg was as good as new.
When I was about 14, my mom and I challenged my dad to see
how long he could grow his beard. He lit up at the challenge and we were amazed
at how long he let it get! We affectionately started calling him “Moses”. He
liked seeing people’s reactions to his beard and would grin from ear to ear. This
also elevated his joy at having his picture taken.
My dad’s greatest moral strengths, I think, which he passed
on to me, were his honesty and his sensitivity. I gained a great deal of
compassion from growing up with him. Daddy was someone I could always talk to.
I trusted him completely.
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