Skip to main content

Remembering My Dad



This photo of my Dad and me was taken at a wedding when I was about five. I wonder why I look so scared. Maybe I was just pooped from dancing too many polkas with him. Maybe the photographer frightened me because I hadn't yet learned to be courageous and smile at him. One think I know for sure is that I've grown in understanding through the years. I use to think the legacy that my Dad left us was his kindness and enjoyment of everyday simple living. It goes deeper than that for sure. My Dad's legacy is that he was a father who loved God and reverenced Him. Dad was never ashamed of his faith or prayer life. A quiet man, he never retaliated when he was offended. He wasn't big on words, but he modeled how to live in peace. I'm remembering my Dad this Father's Day and thanking God for his example.



My pastor shared some awesome statistics last week in Part One of his Father's Day Message. Ninety three percent of the family comes to Christ when father gets saved! It is 35% for mother and 3% for the child. Praise God for fathers who love Christ and serve Him first.







This post connects to Spiritual Sundays. Click here!

Comments

  1. What a beautiful father you were given Mary...and what a legacy :)
    Have a great weekend friend xo

    Deborah xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a gift Mary to have a God -loving, God- fearing Father indeed! Now, married to a man who is just the same....Double blessings from the Lord!

    May you and yours have a beautiful Fathers Day weekend!

    Love you

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even though your father may have been a man of few words, he gave you a wonderful example and legacy of love for Jesus. That is often too rare these days. What a blessing. And I love the photo of you two Mary.

    Love you,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful tribute, Mary ... I've a hunch your dad's "bustin' his buttons" with pride up there.

    Love this photo -- didn't someone take special care with those bows?

    Have a wonderful trip "home" next week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I miss him. He was a good man and a wonderful grandpa.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You were so stinkin' cute (still are)!!!

    That statistic boggles my mind. If Dad's would only understand the extended power of their own salvation ....

    Hugs,
    Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am definitely thankful for my father who knew Christ and kept our family faithful. Glad you had such a good father too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So sweet. What a blessing to have a godly father.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Melt.my.heart! What a sweet picture of you and your dad...and what a legacy!

    It sounds as if your dad lived his life "out loud"...he may have been a quiet man, but his actions spoke louder than words. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Mary,

    Thank you for sharing this tribute of your dad. You express a love for a man who understood his purpose in Christ as a father.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

    ReplyDelete
  11. Polka dancing! What a wonderful memory!!! Rejoicing with you, as I also had a godly father.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Can you imagine if all "dads" man up and go to Christ? What a wonderful world to live in... :)

    It's sad for me when I see many "dads" locked in literally and spiritually are in bondage.

    That is an awesome picture of your father and you! But I know this is not enough to show how much love existed between the two of you!

    Happy Father's Day to your hubby sister Mary and I love reading many posts about our awesome Father as well. God bless. Love you in Christ.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have never heard this statistic before,it doesn't surprise me. What a sweet post about your father.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

    ReplyDelete
  14. Interesting statistics. You are so blessed to have had a father who loved God and raised you to love Him too. Great picture. Thank you for sharing.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

    ReplyDelete
  15. What an interesting statistic. A godly man living in peace is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.

    Blessings,
    Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a beautiful testimony to a Father who understood the importance of leading his family in righteousness.

    Pretty cute little gal in his lap too!

    Blessings, Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  17. Loved the photo, Mary.

    And what a very special dad you had. Won't it be wonderful to see him again?! Will you be sure to introduce me to him? :)

    What an interesting statistic - one can never underestimate the influence of a man who loves the Lord.

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love that precious picture. Blessings ~ Oh, and I really like your new header.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I know I'm late on this one, but saw it at the bottom of the page after commenting on your last post.

    I'm encouraged by the man God used to help care for and shape your life. There is nothing better he could have left you than the crown from God that he did.

    I love stories too...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Surprise at the Mall

I lost touch with a writer friend.  I missed her and her cheerful blog posts.  We met up in a most unusual way!  I’m still in awe of how it happened. I finished my shopping at the mall and took a short cut to get to the parking lot.  The path led me through the food court.  The smell of Chicken Fajitas stopped me in my tracks.  I planned lunch elsewhere, but now I followed my nose. I chewed my first bite of chicken taco salad when, out of nowhere, a loud redhead moved rapidly past the tables and into the booth with me.  “I know you !”  She shouted.  I pondered if I knew this crazy lady.  Did she mistake me for someone else?  She shouted louder and stuck her finger in my face:  “ You’re Mary; you have a blog called Pile of Smiles and you live in the Verde Valley .”   It took me a second to compose myself.  I stopped chewing my food.  I know I stared too long at her face and then she said:...

Hitched to a Rough Road

Photo Credit:  Peggy James I got his email and wanted to shout:  “Hey, buster, does the phrase “continued behavior pattern” mean anything to you?  But I didn’t. Travis is at it again.  His email revealed a litany of complaints about our neighborhood, our country road, our board officers, bad decisions made that will cost him money , yada-yada-yada . Travis is a Christian brother but you’d never know it. He is a large, loud man who shoots his mouth off as often as he shoots his guns back here in the hills.  He interrupts at our road meetings and, like a typical hothead, he speaks truth but with a tone that makes me feel like I need to duck in case some of his words fly at me and smack me upside the face. I thought we were making progress, but we’re not. It is our rough road that brings us together .  Last year we picked up the neglected pieces of our road association.  We agreed to assemble once again to talk, make decisio...

Mama's Lipstick

I always wished I could do things with my mom like shop in the mall, share makeup secrets or go to the movies and watch romantic comedies.  My wish never materialized.     My mama behaved like a tomboy.   She loved baseball and pitched with a strong right arm.   She could care less about the latest fashion or the latest movies featured on the big screen.   She never polished her fingernails.    One day after elementary school, I walked into the house to find my mom all dolled up in front of the bathroom mirror, foundation crème, powder, eyebrow pencil and rouge all over the counter sink.  “Who are you?” I asked, thrilled to see my mama putting on the Ritz.  Makeup in place and blotted, she immediately took it off.  “I don’t like the way it feels,” she exclaimed. She retired in Arizona and protected her dry lips with a light rose lipstick, the color of natural lips, a step above ChapStick.  She wore it a few tim...