You know…it sure would have been nice if an instruction book would have come with the first baby. But it didn’t and if the truth were to be known…we probably wouldn’t have read it anyway.
Oh….It might have been used as an emergency manual. You know when you are all out of ideas and methods…then we might have resorted to that, being our last ditch effort to solve the crisis.
Billy had two daughters and I had one son, when we married. It is hard enough to raise a family that started off all together and has the same gene pool. Combining families certainly has it’s challenges. Today there are even more families going through this same scenario.
We all had to work at it, we STILL do….everyone of us. Relationships don’t just happen. All families have to work at accepting one another and adapting to each others personalities.
I suppose some of the most important things that are taught….are often never said verbally. Actions speak louder than words. The kids have seen Billy do things right….and do things wrong. They have seen his strengths and his weaknesses.
They now have households of their own. Some of them already have started families and now it is their turn to be Mothers and Fathers.
I hope that they learned the important things Billy taught them. He showed them the importance of putting Christ first in their lives. Without that cornerstone the house crumbles.
Interesting thing is….there really is an instruction book…it is the Bible. God has given it to us…to help us along the way…..if…. we will read it. And not just for a quick emergency answer. As Billy has grown in the Lord he has become a better father.
He has demonstrated great work ethics and wise financial decisions. He has demonstrated love, support and discipline. Even now….he still works hard to be a good provider, a good husband, father and grandfather.
But he also plays hard.
When the kids were younger we did a lot of things together. He always set time aside for family getaways. He exposed the kids to a lot of different things. We have stayed in old rustic cabins, way up in the mountains, with no electricity or running water. The kids adapted quickly and had a lot of fun with the new surroundings. They even found a way to lock Billy in the outhouse for a while after taking the toilet tissue with them. There were a lot of laughs that day as Billy peered through the half moon on the door. The kids have hiked a million miles through the years. He loved to spend Saturday’s hiking with the family. There were canoe trips and white water rafting, amusement parks, and weekends at the lake. Vacations taken to historical places like Washington, D.C., and carefree vacations that included an interesting tour to the lost sea, a Mayfield dairy tour where we all sported hair nets and a neat trip on a cruise ship.
Spending time with one another is what binds a family together. Sure there were kinks along the way….even while we were doing all the fun things. But that is how you get to know one another, and build a love for one another. If you do not spend time with someone….you really can’t get to know them.
Billy has given of his time and energy to our kids. That is a balancing act that is hard to do in the younger years. Trying to attend school or social events and work too.
In the last few years, he has been at the hospital to welcome each grandchild into the world. They all think Poo-pa is the greatest.
He gathers the family together as often as he can to celebrate birthday’s, holiday’s, cook a burger ……or ….you guessed it……just go for a hike!
He loves his family….and we really love him too!
Happy Fathers Day Billy!
I've Gone Country 