June 21, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. My Father.

I learned a lot from my Father, things are with me now even though he died almost 60 years ago. I learned to have fun and enjoy myself. My Father read the Saturday Post and cut out the cartoons which he kept in a folder. He sent those cartoons to friends across the country. Friends loved receiving those appropriate cartoons. And he had fun too. I learned not to complain or to find fault. It was not what he said but what he did that made me take notice. Both my mother and father did not find fault with the houses provided for them by The Salvation Army. And I never heard them complain about The Salvation Army. My sister and I were taught that we needed to be able to support ourselves. At that time, this was unusual but Dad saw too many women who either by death or abandonment were left to raise their family without any visible way to earn a living. So we learned to get an education that allowed us to make money. He always told us that we would never know when we would need to support ourselves. So my sister became an administrative assistant and I because a teacher. What I did not learn was how to peel an orange. I lived with my Father for over 20 years. He peeled every orange I ever ate. Every time I eat an orange now, which I peel myself, I think of my Father. And I am grateful for his love and his influence. And even after all those years, I still miss him. Happy Father's Day Dad.