Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Fatherly Wisdom in the Hodgepodge




1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?

We ate a picnic lunch at a local park when my older sister was visiting from Texas last week. The teenage cousins threw a frisbee around,

while the youngest kept us taking turns 
swinging her on the swing. "Din! Din!" she'd exclaim. 
(Again! Again!)














































2. What's a current hot button issue for you?   

The state of law enforcement.    When a cop fears for his life every time he pulls someone over for a traffic stop, something is wrong. When officers feel stripped of their power in the company of young thugs, something is really wrong. 

3. What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house?

Chocolate chip cookies.

4. How hot is too hot?

90 degrees with any humidity. But after the winter we had, I try not to even THINK about complaining of heat. 

5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you?

I do have an artistic outlook on life, yes. To me it means seeing art and appreciating design and thinking of the designer behind all things. Of course I believe that God created all things, including the brilliant minds that get the credit for "creating" things.  To have an artistic outlook includes seeing pattern and color and texture and sound and light, and to love words and language and music and dance. It means to be fascinated by the power, function, and beauty of the human mind and body, from the brain to the toes.


6. What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father?

I feel blessed to have a whole journal of questions that my father answered one year as a gift to me. (I used those answers to blog my 2014 A to Z Challenge which started here.)  What would I like to ask him now?  Hmm. How about "Can you please just never die?"

7. Something you learned from your father?


Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Put others before yourself. Be faithful to your spouse till the day you die.  Respect your fellow man, no matter how much you disagree with him.  Don't settle for pat answers. Keep learning. Classic cars are cool. Be grateful, be honest, be helpful. Work the ground and enjoy the food from it. Laugh a lot. Give generously of your time, talent, and money. Be kind to animals. Sing.  A 20-minute power nap is better for you than a cup of coffee.

Those are just a handful of nuggets from the treasure trove of Daddy's wisdom.  But the most important thing I think I've learned from my father is that he loves me, no matter what. Although I disappointed him many times, I'm sure, I have always felt his love. He demonstrated it, he said  "I love you" countless times,  he encouraged me in every algebra homework cry fest when I felt like the stupid daughter. "I have no stupid daughters," he'd say, "only smart ones.  So let's look at this math problem from a different angle..."


8.  Insert your own random thought here.

If all goes according to (our) plan, we will be closing on our rental property a week from Friday.  If it doesn't, our first tenants (AKA , our second son and his wife) will be homeless. We had lunch with Steve on Sunday to look at appliances together (the daughters were away for a sister weekend at Ocean City, NJ). When I mentioned settlement happening vs. being postponed,   I said,  "If worse came to worst, you could always come stay with us for a little while."  

Oh, if I had a picture of the look he gave me! Those big blue eyes that show "the wheels always turning"--and shy smile that was about to give way to laughter--oh, dear.  He nearly choked on his taco.  But he swallowed, chuckled, and replied, "That's okay. We have a tent."

 



11 comments:

Mary said...

Ha, ha!!! A tent!!!
I agree with you about the law enforcement. They don't get paid near enough for this stuff they're having to deal with...just because some punks think they're above the law.

Marla said...

I also agree about the state of law enforcement. It's so sad that we are to the point of thinking every cop is a bad cop... and siding with a criminal. Respect is gone. As it is with teachers. Parents side with their kids instead of teachers... and now teachers feel powerless. They don't get the support that they should.

Elizabeth "Libby" Day said...

Zoanna, I agree with every one of your answers and so appreciate your answer about your dad. Yes, I think our dad would have enjoyed spending time together and could have been great friends. Your question to him is one I think all we devoted daughters would like to ask our parents. Also, which I could have been as eloquent with my arty answer as you. Beautifully expressed and could not agree more. Now about the son moving in. Our son and his family have lived with us twice due to a work situation that just made it easier for everyone and the last time was Katrina. Both times were blessings for all of us, so it's not always bad.

Carrie B said...

LOL Tent! Too funny. I might be ready to pitch one for my youngest at the end of the summer. ;)

Michelle said...

I answered the same thought in #2, different words. And we both agree on the heat and humidity. Your son moving in, tent, the whole thing is too funny. Let him try it for a few rainy, hot, steamy nights. I remember we were living with my parents for a year before we bought our first house and we all survived.

Michelle said...

I answered the same thought in #2, different words. And we both agree on the heat and humidity. Your son moving in, tent, the whole thing is too funny. Let him try it for a few rainy, hot, steamy nights. I remember we were living with my parents for a year before we bought our first house and we all survived.

Michelle said...

And why two comments were posted - computers!!

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

I had to chuckle over the kids moving in, I don't want any part of it myself except in case of dire circumstances. :O)) Houses were made for one family. But, for a short while, anything is doable.

Enjoyed your answer about your sweet Dad. These Dads are something special to their daughters.

Happy mid-week!

Joyce said...

Speaking as someone currently staying with her mother (along with all our stuff which is the most stressful part) he might be on to something with the tent : ) How fortunate you are to have your dad's wisdom-in person and in writing!

Susan Kane said...

The photo of little precious princess on the swing made a bright spot for my dark day.

Susan said...

I love the wisdom from your dad that you shared. I also love that he only had smart daughters. (And I can relate to the algebra induced cry fest.) I'm grateful for supportive parents and that I'm not required to use algebra in my daily life. Ha!