North Florida Writer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Life Around Us
  • Contact
  • MY BOOK PAGE

SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: Fathers Day, 2019

6/16/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Murray Dick, my dad, circa 1928
The picture above is of my father. It was taken approximately nineteen years before my birth in 1947 and I believe it was when he was graduating from Wake Forest College before going on to medical school at the then Medical College of Virginia.  Since being a child, I was always told I looked like him, but it never became clear to me until I saw this picture recently, when he was still in his early twenties. Comparing it to pictures of myself at that age the comparison is certainly true although I never had that wavy hair as is shown in the picture.  But I loved him dearly, even though I lost him at a young age and I'll never forget the way he handled one of my questions I asked him as a boy.

It was on a Sunday when we sang the beautiful hymn, "This is My Father's World" at church in recognition of it being Fathers Day.  After coming home I asked him why we sing about God as our father while we celebrate Fathers Day for him, my father here on earth. Before answering, he pondered for a moment, contemplating how he should best answer the question.

After a short delay,  he laughed as he simply explained, "Well, Son, you have two fathers but for two special and unique reasons. One is in heaven and then I am here with you on earth.  But really, you need to be older to really understand the full reason so I'll just let you think about it on your own and we'll talk about it later when you are more mature."

Sadly, we never had that conversation as he died unexpectedly a short time later. And while the answer he gave me provided a good foundation to think from as I reached my teen years, I knew that a wanted a more thorough answer now that I was older and could understand better. Dad was right by leaving it as he did earlier and now the time had come where I was better able to understand the full scope of the two father concept. The appropriate time came in my first year at Newport News High School, the downtown school just down the street from our family's church, First Presbyterian. The minister there, Dr. Paul Buckles was an outgoing man who always watched over me without me even knowing it after Dad died. He did, however, tell me as I started my new school that any time I had questions about faith or wanted an adult ear to stop by whenever his big black Chrysler was out front.

One afternoon as I walked up to Washington Avenue to catch the late bus home after school, I did just that and as I knocked on his study door, Dr B. greeted me warmly.  I told him about my discussion a few years earlier with my Dad and how he left the question partly open.  I wanted to know what this fine man of the cloth thought.

He thought about it for a moment and then said, "Well, Son, your dad gave you a good answer but at that time he didn't think you would appreciate the true depth of what it means and I think he was probably right. But now you're older and since he's not here let me tell you how I see it.  Jimmy, you are a special young man and God loves you.  God, in fact, as the creator of the earth and all living things, including us is therefore the Father of all of us. He's my father, your father, your parents' father, everyone's father.  To make you human, however, and not a God like Jesus, he needed you to have two human parents, so He gave each of your parents the gift of being able to create you together as their child while you and they were also the children of God.  The relationship is different from the relationship with God, but it is still very special since they are tasked with the responsibility of raising you as a faithful servant of God so that when you go out into the world you will know Him and love Him. And it's really just as simple as that."

It was like the light came on and the church bells were ringing as the big picture fell into place and I realized exactly why Dad didn't want me to tell me too much too soon. I had to be old enough to understand how things all fell into logical place.  And it comforted me and warmed my soul and it has never been forgotten.

So, to me it says that I must not only celebrate tomorrow in honor of my birth father, but also my Father by creation and it makes me and you, too, doubly blessed. Happy Fathers Day, everyone.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    ABOUT ME

    Hi, I'm James, a writer who studies nature,  animals and all things created by God. I also write from time to time about what I think God expects of us.  I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. I hope you enjoy my comments.

    Archive

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    America
    American Sports
    Animals
    Armed Forces Day
    Conservatism
    Doctorpatient0717615167
    Elections-2016
    Florida
    Florida-politics
    Freedom
    Freedom-of-speech
    Geese
    God
    Gods Glory0546cd6883
    Health Care
    Honor
    Integrity
    Jesus Christ
    Koch-brothers
    Leisure-time
    Love
    Military
    Nature
    Primaries
    Proverbs
    Safety
    Savior
    The Future
    Top-political-donors-list
    Tyrannical-government

    RSS Feed

Thanks for contacting northfloridawriter.com.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Arian Zwegers, trvlto, thomas pix, taberandrew, Justin A. Wilcox, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, ckay, phalinn, curtis palmer, bnpositive, oddsock, HooLengSiong, jespahjoy, illustir, ljlphotography, Out at Bob's, The Labour Party, ljlphotography, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, eli.pousson, JasonParis, Fibonacci Blue, wht_wolf9653, bsabarnowl, ` TheDreamSky, Ken_Hoffman, dsearls, NCinDC, James Byrum, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, cliff1066™, possan, dpape, David Holt London, akeg, Waiting For The Word, Glyn Lowe Photoworks, MilitaryHealth, yukali, infomatique, goforchris, cliff1066™, Wootang01, dctim1, Donald Lee Pardue, LizMarie_AK, campdarby, CedarBendDrive, bill85704, faeparsons, TMAB2003, cliff1066™, Rennett Stowe, KOMUnews, cliff1066™, chris.huggins, USDAgov, mat_walker, gruntzooki, DonkeyHotey, ljlphotography, Elvert Barnes, Paulsasleepwalker, facebook.com/snapshotsofthepast, foto3116, Miller_Center, digitonin, BostonCatholic, Watt_Dabney, jepoirrier, EpicFireworks, derekskey, cletch, DonkeyHotey, KOMUnews, DonkeyHotey, ravensong75, Alan Cleaver, Francisco Diez, hermmermferm, cod_gabriel, Marxchivist, Fibonacci Blue, dbgg1979, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, David Barrie, rjs1322, Just Another Wretch, Keith Laverack, Waiting For The Word, whoohoo120, AFS-USA Intercultural Programs, Brett Jordan, yisris, Michael Hodge, Waiting For The Word, MilitaryHealth, doceggman, AlmazUK, taberandrew, cliff1066™, krossbow, shinya, The Jewish Agency for Israel, kudumomo, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, cliff1066™, johntrainor, emilio labrador, cliff1066™, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), **emmar**, Mrs. Gemstone, Andrea Westmoreland, Jeff Kern, Waiting For The Word, Abdulsalam Haykal, Donald Lee Pardue, roberthuffstutter, Dougtone, b1mbo, DonkeyHotey, paularps, kaatjevervoort, Simon Davison, BONGURI, Marion Doss, ex_magician, Bergfels, Brett Jordan, Tim Evanson, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Jeff Kubina, sskennel, DonkeyHotey, VirtKitty, Rodrigo_Soldon, resistealeau, MilitaryHealth, edalisse, Mervi Eskelinen aka tasselflower, Kaz Andrew, nitram242, Andrew Aliferis, uitdragerij, Paul J Everett, Joe Shlabotnik, Jeffrey, Harry Thomas Photography, Tim Evanson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Ron Cogswell, Nationalmuseet, escapedtowisconsin, Michael Cory, DonkeyHotey, timsamoff, mrbillt6, bnilsen, themonnie, valeehill, dichohecho, Waiting For The Word, technochick, cliff1066™, RTD Photography, Randy Wick, Enokson, Rising Damp, DonkeyHotey, Waiting For The Word, SteveNakatani, Fovea Centralis, Dru Bloomfield - At Home in Scottsdale, lisaclarke, Mulad, Roswell_UMC, Bengt Nyman, U.S. Embassy New Delhi, FreedomHouse2, SuperFantastic, Rory Finneren, Alaskan Dude, Larry1732, Mr. T in DC, ikewinski, Ivy Dawned, RLHyde, Waiting For The Word, heartajack, dyogi, dailymatador, David Paul Ohmer, Pleuntje, Leonard Bentley, midwestnerd, Donald Lee Pardue, DonkeyHotey, Oli-Oviyan, PatrikWalde, flamesworddragon, The U.S. Army, Zach Heller Photography, DonkeyHotey, EvinDC, Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections, Ronnie Macdonald, Gerry Dincher, The U.S. Army, Jeff Belmonte, DonkeyHotey, Texas Military Forces, jim.greenhill, Ben Sutherland, the Original Jeff Martin, Loz Flowers, CBP Photography, spbpda, OCVA, Hot Rod Homepage, brianholsclaw, dozodomo, quinn.anya, KOMUnews, wtstoffs, Leo Newball, Jr., lilli2de, dmott9, Justin A. Wilcox, sören2013, boboroshi, newagecrap, CoreBurn, simminch, ninahale, EvinDC, Mister Awesome, HeyRocker, beggs, Donald Lee Pardue