30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 21
Today is an easy one...I'm thankful for my pops. I was out helping him yesterday and a fellow farmer was giving me a ride to another field to get the back hoe...and without any prompting started talking about what a good guy my dad is. That sort of thing happens all the time. It doesn't take long for people to recognize his genuine spirit and his huge heart.
What was even more amazing to me was last night when I was having a drink with Turk, who is a sort of second dad to us. He was my dad's best friend in high school and he was out on his luck when my parents had him live with us for two plus years. I don't think any of us realized what was going on with Turk but he just became a sort of 'fixture' in our family...always there and always with a story to tell...
Last night he had tears in his eyes, and this is a pretty 'tough' man...when he told me that my dad saved him. Funny part is I already knew the story, how Turk was living on nothing, how my dad went and found him without water or electricity in the middle of winter, how he told him to come and live with us. But I've never heard the story from Turk's side...never seen the emotion in his eyes when he shared that my dad 'saved him.' And in many ways it was probably true-but it's been a gift to us too-to have a guy like Turk in our family. If it weren't for my Pops (and I know mom had a part too) who knows where Turk would be...and how much our family would have missed out on.
I could go on and on...maybe it's Dad helping a fellow farmer, or putting in hours and hours of service for the church, maybe it's his grin that tells you I've been up to no good, or his incredible work ethic. It's all these things and then some that make me so thankful to have a father like this...
BUT none of this compares to how I see him as a grandpa. It's icing on the cake. He loves on my kids, especially Jackson, whom there is a special kindred connection with because of the farm. He gets down on the floor to play with him, he takes him for rides in tractors and combines, last night he took him to a movie...(might not seem like a huge deal but for my dad it is!). The respect and love I have for my father grew exponentially when he started loving on my kiddos. I'm so thankful for all that my pops has instilled in me...so thankful for who he is in our family and even more thankful that he is the Grandpa he is to our kiddos.
What was even more amazing to me was last night when I was having a drink with Turk, who is a sort of second dad to us. He was my dad's best friend in high school and he was out on his luck when my parents had him live with us for two plus years. I don't think any of us realized what was going on with Turk but he just became a sort of 'fixture' in our family...always there and always with a story to tell...
Last night he had tears in his eyes, and this is a pretty 'tough' man...when he told me that my dad saved him. Funny part is I already knew the story, how Turk was living on nothing, how my dad went and found him without water or electricity in the middle of winter, how he told him to come and live with us. But I've never heard the story from Turk's side...never seen the emotion in his eyes when he shared that my dad 'saved him.' And in many ways it was probably true-but it's been a gift to us too-to have a guy like Turk in our family. If it weren't for my Pops (and I know mom had a part too) who knows where Turk would be...and how much our family would have missed out on.
I could go on and on...maybe it's Dad helping a fellow farmer, or putting in hours and hours of service for the church, maybe it's his grin that tells you I've been up to no good, or his incredible work ethic. It's all these things and then some that make me so thankful to have a father like this...
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