“Dad, it’s been 72 years, but the pain of losing you never fades. Your memory lives on in every heartbeat.”

Good morning and welcome. Today is Tuesday, January 27, 2026, and, we have some wonderful bright sunshine today. I say Amen for that! It's mind blowing to contemplate how our lives changed some 72 years ago this month when dad left this life for his reward. Yeah. I was a young fellow back in January of 1954. Maybe it became more clear to me because dad actually succumbed to a cardiac event brought on by untreated pneumonia. Perhaps that's one reason I didn't resist with the wife said "It's time to go!" I did think some about my dad as I lay in that hospital bed. His went untreated until his heart was actually drowning in the fluids from pneumonia. I cannot say mine went untreated as they played find a new vein over and over again. I looked for dad's Eisenhower short jacket but I couldn't lay my hands on it right away. I believe it was a 34. Let's face it. Guys were smaller back then. You can check it out for yourself. Good nutrition aside, they were, on average, shorter and less heavier. Dad's birthday is in April. He was born alongside his twin brother Walter in 1923, although dad's grave marker says 1921 since that's the date he used to get into the Army during WWII. I always understood how mom and dad mostly scrimped and saved to take care the six of us kids. That didn't leave much for luxury items like doctor visits. Sorry. That's just the way it was. Add to that, his notorious stubbornness, which, some say got handed down in tact to yours truly. At any rate, I can't clearly remember his voice but if I heard his recently, I think he said, "Listen, you are not me. Go get it checked out. You are blessed and you can afford it." Thanks dad, and, oh yeah, thanks for your part in bringing me into this world. 

 

My stepfather for 40 years.

From what I have pieced together, dad loved going to Church services. He loved singing. He actually even helped lead the singing a few times. Dad loved babies, (obviously, given the six of us). He loved rocking babies. Dad loved to doodle. Dad kept his notes in his noggin. Dad was a hard worker. Dad was loved and respected by so many in the family, those he worked with, and friends. Okay. I can read those items and write my own resume. Who says the DNA doesn't download traits? Later, God gave me a stepfather and we enjoyed a close relationship for 40 years. I still remember my dad. I still remember my stepdad. And, I still remember that I am one blessed man to have had them both as a part of my sojourn here. Count your many blessings folks. Name them one by one. It just might surprise you what the Lord has done. Amen.