My father was born today. It’s a good day to celebrate!
He was the 12th of 12 children, born during the real Great Depression (not this thing we are still in some 3 years later), with World War II a few years away. He would watch his three oldest brothers serve the country and return as the heroes known as The Greatest Generation.
Over the years, my dad has lived in the shadow of that great group of men (now all deceased), and yet like many of the Silent Generation that came between the war heroes and their Boomer Generation children, Dad was able to grow up in the success of the country and emerge from the shadow of his siblings.
My father is my hero, a man worth emulating. Not only has he stayed focused and in love with my mother for 50 years, he has demonstrated what it means to walk with God. Not everything in his life went well; he had setbacks, disappointments and challenges. He made mistakes, choices he should have made differently, yet rather than letting these things derail his life, he faced those obstacles as mere stepping stones to bigger things.
He spent decades teaching even though that was never his career choice. He took on the role of advisor to a small technology club and turned it into a career of excellence within this now-powerful group called SkillsUSA. His life impacted 1000s of students, both in Tennessee and around the nation. At the same time, he used his gifts in music and leadership to serve in multiple locations as a minister of Jesus Christ. Through that devotion, he again impacted 1000s of lives, being there for the highs and the lows of life.
So often students ask me about how to know their true calling in life. They, like many, want the solution to the rubik’s cube, the cheat codes to life, so they can succeed without the effort. It really doesn’t work that way. And, even if you did think you had the cheat codes, the reality is that even those who seemingly “know what they want to do” rarely find themselves set or settled in life. Instead, you must live it out. You must act and react within the scope of the life that unfolds before you.
If you had found my dad as a college student at Auburn University, I doubt he would have admitted to dreams of teaching. He would not have known anything about a group called VICA. He would have accepted the call of God on his life, but by his own admission, he really didn’t want to have a lot to do with professional work in the church. He had dreams of space, professional baseball and maybe some musical future. Those things didn’t work out exactly as he planned, but he has lived a life worth emulating.
In the end, many lack for a model of a man to follow. Oh sure, they see rich, famous people on TV. My dad is neither in the world’s terms. But, if you need a model to follow for how to act in life, for how to be faithful to your word, or for how to roll with the punches and still trust in God to act. . .well, you’ve found the man.
Happy birthday Dad. I am proud to bear your name. Being a “Junior” has never been easy, but its a moniker I wear proudly! I hope you have a great day.