Daddy with Anita and me on Anita's birthday - early 70's. Can you tell by the decor?
I am on the right. :-)
In honor of Father's Day I am re-posting a piece I wrote about fathers several years ago. We were so blessed to move home this past year. Living across the street from my father and seeing him each day has been wonderful! I am so thankful that Seth is able to have such a close relationship with Papa! Seth and I are also blessed to have Jon! He is a wonderful husband and he is also Seth's hero! Happy Father's Day to all the Dads, Fathers, "Daddies", Grandfathers and Papas everywhere!!
I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.
~ Sigmund Freud
A
few weeks ago I started this post about my father. It was supposed to
be ready for Father's Day - obviously, you can see that I didn't quite
meet my goal; however, I have been blessed with a wonderful father who I
treasure so much so I decided to continue with this post even though
Father's Day has come and gone. My daddy's name is Terry - sometimes his
brothers and sisters call him Buddy. (Remember I am a southern girl.
We all call our fathers "Daddy" even when we are approaching middle
age! Also, just about every southern family has a "Buddy".) He and my
mother were sweethearts from a very young age. They married just a few
short months after my mother graduated from high school. My sister was
born a year later and my parents embraced parenthood. My dad was the
sole provider in those early years. He worked so hard driving a truck
to earn money to provide for his little family. My sister and I both
learned a strong work ethic from our father. Daddy was, and continues
to be, a wonderful role model for our entire family.
I
learned what true love looks like by observing my sweet parents. My
dad was by my mother's side for almost 44 years of marriage. He stood
by her through thick and thin - good and bad - sickness
and health until they were parted by death. My dad never left the
house without kissing my mother goodbye - even for a quick trip to the
store. Devoted would be a true description of my father - devoted to my
mother and to his girls.
My mother and father - around the time they were married. What a wonderful couple!
My
dad has always been supportive and encouraging. He knew when to cheer
us on (band activities, piano recitals, etc.) and he knew when to cheer
us up - through heartaches and disappointments in the teen years and
other trials that have come as we moved through life. He and mom
encouraged us to pursue our dreams with regard to our careers. I was a
teacher when I graduated from college. I obtained a master's degree
after I had been teaching a few years. Daddy was the first to suggest
that I go back to school and pursue a doctorate. I achieved that goal
in 1999 with both of my parent's cheering me on! I remember thinking
how great it was that Daddy wanted so much for his girls. He may not
have had the opportunity to go to college, but he wanted his daughters
to further their education as much a possible.
I
learned from my dad that things may not always go as you planned, but
you must "keep on keeping on". He and my mother faced some challenges
through the years, but their love for each other never wavered. My
mother's death shook my dad to his core. He definitely struggled after
her death; however, he has become his old self in the last couple of
years. He has found his way back to the daddy I have always known and
loved with all my heart.
I
love this picture of my daddy. It was taken when he was around 18
months old. He is wearing his daddy's cowboy hat and holding his
grandfather's pipe.
Good
fathers always seem to know when to help out and when to let their
children figure out things the hard way. That is true of my daddy. I
think that is a tough thing for parents because we always want to fix
things for our children. Daddy was always ready to step in and help when
needed - and he still does - but he also knows when his children must
learn a lesson. I admire him so much for that quality.
I always
knew that my daddy was there to protect our family. That is still true
today. Even though my sister and I are grown, we still believe that
Daddy will always be there, waiting in the wings to help us when we
falter. I believe he is my safety net. Like my heavenly Father, I know
that my daddy will love me regardless.
As
a father and a grandfather, my dad knows it is okay to spoil your
children just a little bit. We did not have an extravagant childhood,
but we had what we needed with special treats thrown in :-). We did not
get brand new cars as soon as we were able to drive. We did get older
cars that were perfect for us! He and mom wanted us to appreciate the
things that we were given. I will tell you though that when my parents
became grandparents, all of these ideas about moderation went out the
window - They quickly realized it was okay to SPOIL the grandbabies!!!
In fact, my sister used to say that Santa Claus couldn't compete with
Granny and Papa. My daddy, aka "Papa", still spoils Paige, Spencer and
Seth. He just treated Seth to a week of baseball camp at South Alabama
and purchased him a new set of catcher's gear - perfect for our budding
baseball star.
My
daddy will tell you that my mother played the biggest part in raising
Anita and me. In fact, I have heard him tell a story of someone saying
that he had two wonderful daughters. My daddy's reply was "I can't take
credit for them, Janell (my mom) raised them." That could not be
farther from the truth. While it was true that my daddy traveled a lot
with his job, and my mother did most of the day to day duties that come
with raising children, my dad was a crucial part of our upbringing. He
and mom were united in their desire to raise us in a Christian home
where we were taught the values they embraced. My father modeled his
belief that family comes first, hard work is a good thing, it is
important to be generous, to help others, and to treat all people with
respect.
This was taken about four years ago (about seven years ago now) - Spencer, Me, Nini, Seth, Paige and Papa
Jon and Seth - This is a recent picture. It is amazing to see how much Seth has grown!!
To
sum it up, amazing fathers just seemed to instinctively know when to
praise and when to punish, when to save and when to splurge, when to
cheer their children on as they follow their dreams and when to
encourage them to show restraint. I am so blessed to have an amazing
man as my sweet father. I am so honored to call him Daddy! I am also blessed to have married Jon. He is a wonderful father to Seth and to his "big boys", Matt and Drew!
I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.
Adabella Radici
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.
