MY GIANT DADDY CONT'D

6-3-08...MY GIANT DADDY CONT'D

My daddy had no education so did what he had to do to survive. He worked in a dark ol' coal mine way dow in the bowles of the earth where he had to crawl on his stomach to dig out the coal. Daddy went in the mines the first time when he was 15. (no child labor laws then) He had left home after his abusive step mom had tried to beat him the last time. (see Part one) Daddy lived with his Married sister until he could stand on his own feet. Daddy never asked for much from anyone but he would give you his last dime if you needed it. daddy was 26 when he married my Mom who was only 17, I was born when she was 19. I guess I must have come into the world with a big bang because Mama almost died. (another story) My daddy worked so hard but I didn't know or think about it at the time. He always saw to it that me and my Brother (who was born 4 yrs after me) had what we needed and some of what we wanted. He taught us to work too and I am so Thankful that he did. Daddy had a Miners Bucket that he carried in that mine. It had his food and water for the day because he stayed down there until his shift was over. My Brother and I would run to meet him when he got home. We would carry his bucket inside and open it. He always left something in there for us to eat and we would get a drink of that water that had coal dust floating on it. YUMMY YUMMY! As I look back I'm sure Mama had put the little tidbits in there for us to eat in the evening but coal dust was all over everything, including my Daddy. He washed off a little bit at the mine but had another more sufficent bath later that night in the old washtub. He didn't get to wait till saturday night like we did sometimes. Sponge bath's for us and get in that tub on Saturday night to get all sparkling clean for Church tomorrow. WOW!!! Good Ol' days were those. I think of that song "PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND OF THE MAN" when I think of Daddy and Mama because that's what they did. Taught us to Pray, Stayed on their knees before God and did what they had to do to provide for us. I sing that song in Church sometimes and just Thank God for my Daddy and Mamma. He gave us just the most perfect ones there was. My Daddy was truly a Giant of 5'7in. size 7 shoe, small shirt. WOW WHAT A GIANT OF A MAN!!!!!!!! YOU GO DADDY