My Dad

Most of you are probably aware of this, but my Dad passed from this world on February 3, 2008. I'll start this with a link to an article on 11alive.com. If you read the article, please read the comments as well. They, more than the article itself, really tell the story of who my dad was. His trade has fallen so far from one where people did hard work to find out information of value to the public to one where people read information they got from a press release or a police blotter calculated to increase ratings and sell advertisements. My dad cared deeply about everything he did, including his work, and he did hard work chasing down sources and finding new information to publish. I'm sure there are people like that left in the business, but I don't often see them.

There was much I wish I could have done with my dad, but most of it his living longer wouldn't have changed. I know he would have loved to go backpacking or mountain biking with me. We used to go on hikes, but he hasn't been doing that for a while. Much of my love of the outdoors I got from my father, but his health has not for a long time permitted him to really enjoy it. He read Backpacker Magazine up to maybe 3 years ago, but I can barely remember a time when he could hike on unimproved trails, even without a pack.

I can't imagine the loss of the ability merely to hike in the outdoors, but he suffered the loss of so much more. Near the end he frequently couldn't carry on a substantial conversation without becoming overtaxed, yet through that all he rarely complained (except for getting stuck in a hospital). For years he has been on constant pain medication, but I never heard him mention it.

Though I didn't truly give my life to Christ until college, much of my knowledge of theology and the Bible comes from my father. He was deeply committed to the church and to service, often stepping in to do the duty of elders or deacons even when he was not himself active in service. He was twice elected as an elder in the Presbyterian Church and very active in his Sunday school class.

I'll miss him and I wish I could have enjoyed his company more, most of all I wish I had told him more often how much I love him and appreciate his love for me. After so many years of missing out on some of the great pleasures of this world, now he gets a chance to enjoy God's presence and His creation in a measure that I have barely dreamed of. I miss him, but I wouldn't wish him back.