By REV. DR. JOHN HATCHER
Religion Columnist

My father was born 1901. He died 1969. I was 22 when he died. He had four daughters, Martha, Sue, Brenda, and Nancy who preceded me as his children.

Daddy, as far as I know, never read a book, but did attend to the daily reading of the newspaper. He never wrote a love note to any of his children. I remember few times that he hugged me. I can't remember him cooking a meal nor washing a dish.

However, as the nation celebrates Father's Day, I have to pay tribute to my Father—on this side of 31 years since his death. Time gives us mighty good perspective.

Unlike many fathers today, Daddy was always there. We his children never had to wonder where Daddy was. We could count on his arrival from work like clockwork every afternoon at 5:30. He was a foreman for a painting crew that kept up officer housing at Fort Benning, Georgia (Columbus). Daddy was either at work or at home.

I'm told that occupations that begin with the letter “p” are suspect for trustworthiness—like plumbers, painters, and preachers. Daddy was totally trustworthy. If he promised something, he would fulfill his commitment. Daddy had excellent credit. In fact, he had more credit than ability to pay. The good things, therefore, he knew his limits.

Another thing, Daddy knew when he had children he had to give up the bottle and gambling. Before children, Mama used to cook fried chicken and biscuits for Daddy's gambling parties. But when the responsibility of having children faced him. He quit cold turkey. He would not allow a deck of cards nor a bottle of wine to be found in the home. We could only have a deck of Old Maid cards.

So often today, we see parents who think that he can hang on to their single lifestyle while also raising children. Not possible, at least for Daddy. He didn't want to do anything that could be a negative model for his children. He loved us. If he could have, he would have bought the world for us. He loved his wife, my mother. None of his children were allowed to talk back to our Mother in his presence.

As one of his children who became a minister, I naturally want to look into my Father's spiritual side. He was not a religious church attender. He thought about twice a month was adequate for himself. Although his mother and father were charter members of Mother's Home Freewill Baptist Church in Boykin, Georgia, he never got that involved.

Yet, one day, God gave me an insight into my Father's spiritual side. We were invited to Sunday Dinner at Aunt Gertie's and Uncle Walt's home. With everyone at the table, Aunt Gertie called on Daddy to prayer the blessing over the food. Daddy prayed one of the most genuine, most real, most appropriate prayers I've ever heard anyone pray to the Living God. That memory will forever give me comfort as I anticipate seeing Daddy again in heaven.

Perhaps many of us children are a little too hard on our parents. Maybe with the light they had, they did better than average than we are doing. I know my daughter can't count on her Daddy being home every night.

How about your children?

The Rev. Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of River's Edge Community Church in Fayetteville.

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