Happy Birthday Dad! by Pastor Welty

Dear Dad,

I was thinking about you today, probably because today would have been your 100th birthday.  I was thinking about how blessed I am to have had a father like you.  You weren't perfect, and I'm sure you know that, but you were pretty good. 

When I had heart surgery,  my surgeon went over my profile.  "Let's see", he said, "You don't smoke or drink.  You exercise regularly and you seem to eat right."  Then he paused and said,  "You just chose the wrong father."  I beg to differ with him.  If I could have had a choice, I don't think I could have found a better father.  

Genetics can be a bane and blessing.  Sure I may have inherited high cholesterol and cardio vascular disease from you.  But your legacy is so much richer and so much greater than that.  You were a great example of faithfulness to God and faithfulness to your family. 

Beth, my new wife, who I know you would like, made an observation when we were at our family reunion in Ohio.   As we toured the rescue mission where you served and lived for so many years, and as she heard us tell the stories about you and mom and your ministry, she told me that I had a wonderful heritage of ministry.  I agree, and it was nice to be reminded of that.

You started out as a school teacher, something you loved and were good at, but then you felt a call to work with your father in the rescue mission that he started , the mission which serves people in the inner city who struggle with substance abuse and homelessness.   You could have found a nice house in the suburbs to raise your family, but instead the large apartment in the back of the mission was our home.   You and mom made it a wonderful home for us to grow up in, and we didn't feel  that we were missing out on anything.  We gained an appreciation for service from a young age as you taught us about working hard and caring for people in need. 

Because I was your youngest child, my older siblings like to remind me that you were easier on me, and that maybe true.  Or maybe you were just exhausted from parenting by the time I was on the scene.  I do remember feeling frustrated with you at times and your rules - as most teenagers are with their parents, but I also remember you showing me kindness and compassion at the moments when I needed it most. 

After my sophomore year in college, I was feeling weary and wanted to take a little break.  There didn't seem to be a good moment to inform you of my plans until you were in the hospital recovering from hernia surgery.  Your situation seemed to provide the cover from your negative response, but it didn't.  When I told you about my plans, you raised up out of the bed and let me know that I was going to return to school and complete my degree.  Because, as you noted, "If you give up now, you might never return."  You were probably right.  You showed me that you not only valued education, but you valued me as well.

After mom died in 1994, I felt that I lost you as well.  Mom had apparently been covering for your memory loss that we later found out was Alzheimer's disease.  When I heard that you had passed away on August 27, 2005, I remember feeling numb because I had already lost you.  We spoke regularly on the phone, and you always knew who I was - perhaps because we shared the same name, but I would always have to remind you about my family, where I lived and what I was doing.  My numbness faded away at the funeral as the chaplain from the Mennonite Home, where you had lived your last days, shared about how you were his "unofficial assistant".  He told how you cared for people and prayed for them.  At that point I remembered what a kind and compassionate man you were, and I wept.  I realized again how blessed I was to have a father who was such a good man and good example.   

That was fifteen years ago, and now it's December 15, 2020. 

Happy Birthday, Dad,  I love you and miss you.

Love, Jim