My Dad Part 5 "The Overcomer"

As I said in a former blog, my dad was far from perfect. So tonight I want to write about my dad the "overcomer." My dad grew up in a rural part of our town in a poor family. His mother actually birthed 13 children though two of them died at birth.

Dad used to tell of Christmas time. At his house to get a cap pistol and some fruit was a huge Christmas. Of course they really didn't know they were poor because all of the kids at his school and those in the area around their house were all in the same boat. I tell you this because it is one aspect of his overcoming. He became very successful as a builder through that kind of raising.

Dad also overcame some things that I know he would not be proud of having done, yet through God's help, he overcame them. Through my teen years dad went through hard times. I think I alluded to the fact that work was hard to come by as a builder. During this time in his life, he became a heavy drinker. I remember some pretty hard nights with him and mom doing lots of screaming. I could tell you some really tough details, but I'll spare you and me of those. Suffice it to say that mom searched the scriptures to try and find a way to "scripturally" divorce him. I guess that is the one thing I owe to conservative thinking. She could not find a reason and they stayed together and weathered the storm. Dad later gave up drinking on his own and later than that gave his life back to God. He served some years as a deacon in the church.

The truth is, I can safely say that through all of that I never doubted his love for us. That's the great thing about family. Forgiveness and healing should be automatic. Because of that I can say that I am very proud of my father. He overcame so many things to be a great giver of love to everyone with whom he came in contact.