Loving Parents Make the Difference

Some people wait for decades to get a lucky break in life. I got mine the day I was born into a family with a mom and dad who love God, each other, my siblings and me. I can paraphrase an Abraham Lincoln quote and say, "Every good thing I have or am or ever hope to be . . . can be traced to my parents."

My mom and dad still model meaningful, productive lives for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and members of their community.

At age 90, my dad was recently restricted from mowing his lawn by his doctor. It may not be common knowledge, but there's only one "right" way to mow a lawn . . . Daddy's way. We're not talking about an ordinary lawn here. We're talking about the prettiest yard in American Falls.

It starts by pulling the ripcord on the lawn mower at dawn on Monday mornings, in spite of neighbors who may be trying to put the finishing touches on their weekend with the last few minutes of shut-eye. There's a certain criss-cross method of mowing a lawn that coaxes the grass to grow greener. The stray clippings have to be swept off the sidewalk, and the lawnmower has to be cleaned up before it goes back into the garage. It's a hard act for my brother-in-law to follow, but he's doing his best.

Daddy may not be able to mow the lawn this summer, but rest assured . . . the geraniums and roses and pansies and snapdragons will be flaunting their beauty as always under his daily care. The prettiest one will be picked and displayed for his sweetheart on the kitchen table in a Dixie cup.

In the meantime, Mother, at 87, keeps busy preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner . . . just as she's been doing for the past sixty-three years . . . baking cookies for "drop-ins," preserving fruits and vegetables, writing letters, and nurturing Daddy, whose lucky break came the day he married her.

Who can guess what a wonderful world this could be if every person in the world had parents like mine?

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Be sure to take your medicine!