MY GIANT DADDY

5-31-08...MY GIANT DADDY

Like Most young people I thought my daddy was a giant. Able to move a mountain if I asked him. Able to leap tall buildings and save the 'damsel' in distress. Really though my Daddy was a small man. 5' 7 in his boots, and a size 7 shoe. Daddy wasn't a big man but he was scrappy. He had to be to survive in his day. When Daddy was born his Mom died, leaving my PAPA with a baby and two small girls to raise. Daddy and his sisters kinda' pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and made it OK till my Papa married Edith. She was mean to them and especially to my Daddy only about 3 yrs. old. His two sisters protected him the beat they could but Daddy was mostly alone with Edith. She whipped him at the drop of a bucket. My Aunt told me once that Edith would get on her knees in the yard and Pray for my Daddy to die. There's lots more but that will be a later installment. For now I'll just repeat, Daddy had a hard life. Never got to go to school. Was ploughing a team of mules when he was 6 yrs. old. So because he didn't get to go to school he could never read or write. He used to tell me and my Brother, "NOT EVERYBODY CAN PUSH A PENCIL BUT I WANT MY KIDS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IF THEY HAVE TO" And My Daddy worked hard and put us through school. We had food on the table and clothes on our back. Daddy was never bitter or mean and never gave us cause to be that way either. He worked in a coal mine for 23 yrs. and brought home the bacon. That is what he didn't raise himself. But I'm gettin' ahead of myself here so "SELF BACK UP A BIT" NOW GEE HAW THERE MULE> Keep on the right trail. When Daddy was 15 yrs old one morning he was putting on his work boots to head to the fields. He broke his shoelace and he said "DARN IT" Edith got him by the hair of the head and was going to give him anothrt beating. Daddy said "YOU OL WITCH, YOU WILL NEVER HIT ME AGAIN" Daddy would not fight back with Edith because she was a lady???? Well if she was a lady---------. Anyway, Daddy got her off him and ran out the door with that ol' bag of demons' right after him. He got in the yard and picked up rocks and rocked that ol' bag right back in the house. Edith lived to be an old lady still fat and sassy. My Daddy died when he was 69 yrs. old. A wonderful Man, a Christian man,( HE knew the Bible from cover to cover and couldn't even write his own name) a great Daddy. YOU GO DADDY O' SHOW THEM ANGELS UP THERE JUST WHAT YOU ARE MADE OF. I KNOW ALL OF HEAVEN REJOICED WHEN YOU ENTERED THOSE GATES WITH THAT SWEET SPIRIT, YOU HAD IT HARD HERE BUT BOY WOULD YOU LOOK AT YOU NOW" I LOVE YOU DADDY KEEP THEM MULES ON THE RIGHT TRAIL!!!!!