Happy Father's Day

          It has been 11 years since my father died, but I miss him more now than I ever did before.  He taught me so much over the years and I wish that I could talk to him once again.  I'm thankful that the Lord kept him from having to deal with this Covid19 mess and I would not want to bring him back to this after sharing in the glories of heaven.  However, I do wish I could talk to him and hear his wisdom about dealing with this pandemic.

          My dad taught me so much about dealing with difficult events.  When he was a year old he had to deal with the death of his father from the Spanish flu.  He and his mother were forced to relocate during the flu, after his death. But he saw how the Lord marvelously provided for them during those difficult times.

          About 60 years later he had to deal with another major shock, losing his job at RCA during one of their layoffs.  He never complained about this sudden news and the Lord provided him with jobs daily, including substitute teaching and working on preparing taxes.  Eventually the Lord provided a full-time job as head of facilities for what was then the Lancaster Osteopathic Hospital.  Dad's positive attitude and trust in the Lord during those years was a real lesson to us.

          Then a few years later he faced the toughest tragedy when my mother was killed in an automobile accident.  This caused a major readjustment in his life.  Privately he missed her deeply and often his tears flowed.  But again he went on with life, never complaining or blaming God, and serving the Lord  Again his faith in the Lord was a tremendous example to us.

          Dad's life was never easy and he taught us how to deal with what God provided.  During the early years of his marriage, following World War II, jobs were scarce.  For his first teaching job his pay was so small ($1,200) that he couldn't afford to have my mother and me live with him in Doylestown, so we had to live with his parents in Sunbury.  He learned to take a variety of part-time evening jobs to pay the bills.  Later he was able to get temporary jobs with Dupont in Wilmington on the Manhattan Project, New Cumberland High School, Susquehanna University teaching Air Force cadets and Elizabethtown College. Then a full-time job finally opened at RCA in Lancaster.  This meant eight moves for us until we were finally able to settle down in Lititz when I was in fifth grade.   Again, dad put his trust in the Lord and He provided all that we needed. 

          Dad also taught me the importance of serving the Lord.  We were in church whenever the doors were open, even though it often meant making lengthy drives to Harrisburg.  Then dad led the effort to begin our church in Lancaster where he was a charter member, an elder, teacher, trustee, treasurer, delegate, superintendent, etc. throughout most of his adult life.  Only recently I learned how he often kept the church solvent in its early years by paying bills out of his own pocket when the offerings were not sufficient.

          He was also very active in our denomination serving for many years on the Board of Directors.  In fact one of his last acts here on earth came the night before his death when he completed checks and a financial report for the Board of Directors meeting.  He also was instrumental in the founding of Berean Bible School.  He served as president of the Warwick School Board for a number of years, was a board member of Lancaster Christian School and served on the Lancaster Christian Businessmen's Committee.

          I owe my father so much and I learned so many valuable lessons just by observing him.  His faith was real.  His work ethic, unbelievable.  His wisdom, outstanding.

          Dad, I don't know if you can hear me, but thank you for your life and example.  I just hope that I can be half the father that you were to me.  I do miss you, but I know that I will see you again, possibly very soon.

         Happy Father's Day.