My father was born in 1910 in Social Circle, and is presently in Heaven with my mother who died several months ago. It's very interesting what we fondly remember about our parents who, for “better or worse,” were the most important people in our lives for many years.

Both of my parents had lived through the Great Depression which certainly left its mark on them, and on America, and on all who survived it. My wonderful wife and I are from the “Baby Boomer” generation.

I was born D-Day minus four. In other words I was four days old when America and its Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy. If one or both of your parents were products of the Great Depression, they were also what Tom Brokaw called in his book, “The Greatest Generation”.

Being from the Greatest Generation and having lived through the Great Depression formed some very interesting traits in their lives, and in my opinion, some very good traits.

I have noticed that being a baby boomer, I tend to want to repair things rather than buy a new one. If something breaks or does not function properly, I immediately think “I will fix it.” It never enters my head to buy another one unless the old one cannot be repaired.

This is NOT New Millennium thinking. I will even go to an auto parts store or to a hardware store to get the components to repair something and the young person behind the counter will just stand there and smile. Nobody repairs anything anymore; they just replace it!

If you think this is not so, look at how many times some remarry. Many don't ever think of going to a Christian counselor to “repair a broken marriage.” God forbid - just replace it!! It's basically the same philosophy that people are also disposable, kinda like unwanted babies.

Dad was a soap saver. Now a soap saver is a person who when the bar of soap gets down to where it is just a sliver of its original self, he would take it and squeeze together with another gooey sliver. This would make an interesting mass of multicolored mushy soap. When you would reach for it was an exercise in goo! Eventually he would transfer the saved soap to his shaving mug which he still used as long as he lived.

It's strange since he is now gone that I find myself never throwing away a sliver of soap in the shower. I don't really know where they go but I just can't bring myself to get rid of them.

I remember how Dad, after having been through World War II and the Korean War, would always wash his socks in the sink, which would drive my very squared-away mother, absolutely crazy. If they ever came close to a divorce, this issue would have been on the top of the list for her.

I'm sure we as fathers do some strange things in life and probably cause our families to scratch their heads, but if I knew anything about my father there were three things that I knew 100 percent about him. First He loved God and his church with all his heart, he loved us with all his heart, and he loved the cause of freedom and education with all his heart.

Now that he is gone, I also love the same three. I still never touch the slivers of soap, and every time I see a pair of socks I think of him. God bless the soap savers of life!

Dr. Knox Herndon is the pastor of His House Community Church (SBC) and a substitute school teacher in the Fayette County school system, and a former Army chaplain. The church is currently meeting in the American Legion Log Cabin across from the fountain on the Square in Fayetteville, but not for long. We will be moving to our new land location near Senoia in August. Prayer line: 770-719-2365. E-Mail: Khern2365@aol.com.

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