I remember the day I met Dad. Lee had introduced me to him as his girlfriend and he smiled and said,"Hi, Ellie." I didn't know if he had just heard my name wrong but I hoped he was giving me a nickname already because I liked him right away; he had an easy relaxing way about him which stuck with him all the years I was priviledged to know him.(A real blessing particularly since I was fairly shy.) The thing I'm most thankful to him for is the son he and Mabel raised who became my husband. Lee learned an outstanding work ethic from his Dad and gained the drive to be a steady financial provider for our family. He also picked up so many skills from working with Dad. From professional skills like electrical, to all sorts of handyman home-improvement repairs and the all-important money-saving car repairs! But the gift that really "keeps on giving" is that Lee has a strong drive to attempt new things and good reason to assume he can succeed at the things he attempts. I think that self-confidence is largely due to a father who assumed his son could and would succeed. So, Dad, there aren't enough words to thank you for your son; he is now and will always be the desire of my heart.
I'm not going to say goodbye to Dad here. I feel like I only just said hello to him a few days before he died when he decided to pray to trust Jesus Christ as his savior. On that day, besides being my father-in-law, he also became my brother in Christ. We have a lot to talk about in heaven that we weren't able to talk about here. I miss you, Dad, and I look forward with great anticipation to our next hello.
