Happy Father's Day

I would like to start by thanking the good Lord for bringing into my life my lovely wife some 30+ years ago without whom I would probably not exist.

You see I grew up without a true father in the house. Sure my mother did what she could, but being a single mother for most of my adolescent years, I was left with my brothers and sister to pretty much do as we please. There was little if any discipline which led to too much freedom at such a young age. Trouble was sure to follow and DID! Let’s just say my mother got to meet most of our police first hand.

Luckily I met my Father-in-law when I did. Here was a man who could be very intimidating, rather big guy with not much to say at first to the young punk who started hanging around his daughter. It took awhile for him to even acknowledge me when I came around. But I think when he realized I was at his house more than mine , he should investigate who I was and my intentions with his daughter. I remember the first time he spoke to me, I had walked over to see Jo and was waiting in the driveway for her to come out, Mr. Cornwell comes from the garage and asks me to help lift a camper door into place. I didn’t say a word I just walked to the garage and did as he said. He thanked me and asked my name although I’m quite sure he already knew it.

Over the next few weeks whenever I would come by he would be in the garage and need a quick hand with something or another. He was not a man to waste words so when he spoke to me I listened. When he asked me a question I answered as fast as I could. Before I knew it he asked me to go fishing with him, at this point I’m still kind of nervous around him, but I agreed. I can only assume he had checked all his fatherly sources, and connections in town and knew my story. I was not the best kid in the neighborhood, but I was far from the worst.

He eventually started to warm up to me and through his actions I saw what I believed a father should be. First of all he was the leader of his house. He worked very hard, and if you were close to him so did you. He despised laziness, and always treated everyone fairly, respectfully, as they deserved. The man was brutally honest, if he said it you can bet it was the truth as he knew it. Later some of the boys I grew up with worked for him at the copper plant. Some were frightened by him, others were intimidated by him, but every one of them would speak very highly of him when he was not around. How he would lend a hand when needed or get on someone who was slacking or coming in late a lot. Every one that worked with or for him respected his leadership. The best advice he gave me as far as being a leader was to give a man all the tools he needed to accomplish the task, offer support when asked for and let the man do the job.

We went on to become the best of friends, more like a father and son than anything I had previously known. Countless hours fishing or playing golf. All the while turning me into the person I am today. I love him and miss him. Hopefully those around me will speak of me someday in the same regards I heard others speak of him.

Few quotes on the topic of Fathers I’ll Share

“A boy needs a father to show him how to be in the world. He needs to be given swagger, taught how to read a map so that he can recognize the roads that lead to life and the paths that lead to death, how to know what love requires, and where to find steel in the heart when life makes demands on us that are greater than we think we can endure.”
― Ian Morgan Cron, Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir...of Sorts

Listen, there is no way any true man is going to let children live around him in his home and not discipline and teach, fight and mold them until they know all he knows. His goal is to make them better than he is. Being their friend is a distant second to this.”
― Victor Devlin

P.s. Treat others with love and respect, the world needs that shit. Peace, JerryT