My Nickel’s Worth
Sunday before last was Father’s Day. I have been blessed to have two men in my life who have been inspirational to me.
My dad has an amazing life story. He grew up on a dairy and when his dad fell off a grain silo and broke his hip, my dad helped run the dairy, milking cows before and after school at the age of 12. My dad has always been a hard worker. He earned three degrees and his last one was his doctorate. He was the outstanding doctoral student! He is fearless, can fix anything, and was quite the athlete as he was recruited for college basketball. He taught me how to play sports, never missed one of my games, and even drove me every week to a hitting coach in Dallas on school nights, also coaching my basketball teams when I was in elementary school, as well as being the baseball coach on my teams in junior high. My dad gave up countless nights playing catch with me in the backyard, driving us to the gym late at nights to shoot hoops, and teaching me how to live for Christ every day. He lost his own father to cancer when he was 20 years old and worked to put his sisters through college. He became a pastor and pastored churches in Oklahoma and Texas for 25 years before retiring from ministry and becoming the Olney Director of Technology. Ironically, he was also called back into ministry and pastors a church as well. Dad has taught me to always stay faithful to the Lord and to never, ever give up. He also taught me that family is valuable.
My grandfather, Papa Lewis, runs a successful business. Papa has been farming since he was a little boy, went to college and served in the National Guard. Papa loves travel, photography, and cooking. He is a farmer and rancher and has built an incredible business through years and years of hard work. He loves his family and has taken us all over the world to give us experiences to understand others and history. He also has a strong faith and lives such a moral life. He too has taught me to work hard and to trust God in the good and bad times. I am so thankful for these two men who overcame hardships to be successful, hardworking men who put family and faith first.