The Greatest Generation

Only a dad with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,

Toiling and striving from day to day,

Facing whatever may come his way,

Glad in his heart that his own rejoice

To see him come home and to hear his voice.

Only a dad, but he gives his all,

Smoothing the way for his children small,

Doing with courage so stern and grim

The deeds that his father did for him.

These are the lines that for him I pen,

Only a dad--but the best of men.

My dad is 82 on February 14th. Happy Birthday Dad!

My Dad has always been handsome and a member of "The Greatest Generation". He has been a tireless worker. He was a school teacher and later a principal but he always had part time jobs like selling shoes, World Book, putting in sprinklers, and pulling up milk in the grocery stores. And he kept an immaculate yard and bountiful garden without any weeds. He has spent countless hours in Church service, serving in some pretty high profile positions.

One thing that I have always known in this crazy world of ups and downs is that my Father loved my Mother, they loved God and kept his commandments, and that they loved us children. I felt that so sure and strong. Their love and commitment to Christ's teachings was as sure and constant as the north star (to coin a phrase from President Hinckley). They created a stable home of solid values when social mores were being buffeted by the Beatles, flower children, drugs, free love, Vietnam, civil rights chaos, and a miriade of other evils that subtley and boldly infiltrated our culture during the 60's and 70's. I had the unequaled blessing of knowing who I was and what God expected of me (Fiddler on the Roof).

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How beautiful are the words of our prophets. When the Proclamation on the Family first came out, I was a little surprised that they would speak out on such common everyday knowledge. But I have been sheltered and have come to realize that the way I was raised is now not the norm for an alarming number of children.

A quote by Jeffery Holland from "The Hands of the Fathers" makes me so grateful for my wonderful father: "I suppose no book I have read in recent months has alarmed me more than a work entitled Fatherless America. In this study the author speaks of "fatherlessness" as "the most harmful demographic trend of this generation," the leading cause of damage to children. It is, he is convinced, the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from poverty to crime to adolescent pregnancy to child abuse to domestic violence. Among the principal social issues of our time is the flight of fathers from their children's lives."

THANK YOU DAD FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR US!

I asked Dad what advice he would give us after 82 years of life experience and this is what he said: "Stay close to the gospel. Pay your tithing. Read the scriptures. And most importantly, spend time with your children.

We had a little dinner at Chillies to do some celebrating. It was frustrating and hilarious because some of us are almost as deaf as Dad is. Amidst the noise and confusion of the restraunt we were yelling, "WHAT - WHAT - DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE SAID? - WHAT- WHAT:)