Dad's Words of Wisdom

 

For Mother’s Day I had a long list of things that momma said.  I cannot do the same for Father’s Day.  Daddy told me more things than momma did, but most of them cannot be published in this article.  Daddy’s vocabulary was mostly vulgar words, barnyard terminology.  His language was crude and base before his salvation.  Daddy was very outspoken and one did not have to wonder where or how he stood on a subject.  Here are a few words of wisdom that are permissible:

Your generation has no gumption.

Kids your age are sorry and don’t know how to work.

If the sun don’t come up, what are you going to do about it?

If you don’t stop walking on the sides of your feet, you’ll be cripple by the time you're fifty.

You’d better say yes mam, no mam, yes sir, no sir.

Always take up for those who can’t take up for themselves.

You better not make fun of handicapped or disabled.

Dead folks can’t hurt you, it’s living ones that do.

If you made the bed, you gotta sleep in it.

It will rain when the Master gets ready for it to rain.

Cutting firewood warms you twice.

If you get in jail, you will stay there.

Don’t point that gun at anything unless you intend to kill it.

You can stay at home as long as you want, but you got to help your momma with groceries.

Take that hat off at the table.

Somebody say grace (This was for every meal.)

There is no such thing as a free meal.

If the government gives you something, they will tell you how to live.

You will vote and register for the draft, too many men and women died for our rights.

Treat people like you want to be treated.

A bought lesson is a learned lesson.

Hindsight is always 20/20.

In a hundred years, who gives a care?

 

Daddy taught me about life.  My love for history, motorcycles, and hot rods come from daddy.  He taught me how to split firewood with an ax and how to run a chain saw to cut paperwood.  He taught me how to repair junk, which most folks refer to as “rigging” but I call it “fixin’.”  He taught me to respect people, especially adults and old folks.  He taught me respect of guns and how to use them, especially killing hogs, and then butchering them.  He taught me how to handle a bully; you beat the snot out of them. 

He taught me generosity.  I remember when planting corn by hand daddy would say, “One for the Master, one for the birds, one to rot, and one for me.”  Daddy shared our garden with everyone.  He was always willing to give folks a “mess of corn, peas, okra,” etc.  When folks helped us “kill hogs,” daddy always made sure that they got a “mess of meat.”  He knew whom and who not to tell, “Get all you want.”  Some people were like a plague of locusts when given the opportunity to “get a mess.” Daddy lived this way: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (II Corinthians 9:6 NIV).

The Bible speaks of generosity:

 

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10

 

The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; Psalm 37:21

 

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God (II Corinthians 9:11-12 NIV).

Sanctity of Human Life

Several years ago a preacher friend and I had the privilege of spending a week at Saddleback Baptist Church.  Yes, this is the one where Rick Warren is the pastor.  Dr. Warren and I have a mutual friend, Danny Daniels, who was on staff at Saddleback at that time.  My friend and I were at Saddleback at Danny’s invitation.

I got to meet Rick’s dad, Jimmy Warren.  My friend commented that while everyone was trying to spend time with Rick, that I was talking with Rick’s dad.  Brother Jimmy, Rick’s dad was a pastor also, saw that I was from Alabama and he initiated the conversation.  I found out that Brother Jimmy had a sister in Alabama and that he lived in Alabama before moving to Texas.  We talked for about forty-five minutes.

My I.D. badge started several conversations.  I was standing in front of the church when a lady noticed I was from Alabama.  She asked me why folks in the south had so many guns and killed little animals and had school shootings.

Taken back by her comment I reminded her that the last school shooting at that time was in Oregon.  I told her I might be from Alabama, but according to our geography books that Oregon was north of California and on the West Coast.  I reminded her that just because we talk slow in Alabama does not mean we are stupid.

I told her that for the amount of guns that there in Alabama that the number of people killed from hunting was very low.  That is not to minimize the life of a shooting victim, but that we teach our children that guns were made to kill and never point it at anything unless you intend to kill it, even if it is unloaded.  Guns do not kill, people do.

I told her that my Aaron, who was small at the time, could shoot a rifle with extreme accuracy.  I pointed to a window in the church and told her he could hit any place I pointed.

She asked me why did we kill deer, turkeys, rabbits, quail, and etc.  I told her that we ate them.  This grossed her out.  I guess these Southern delicacies were not on the LA weight lost diet.  I told her that we also killed varmints.  Then I had to explain varmints.

After I explained to her that “a country boy could survive”, she said that the folks in California just shot.  She said that just a few days before the Saddleback Conference that a young man shot at people traveling on the Interstate.  That’s happening everywhere now days.

She agreed with me that the reasons for school shootings and idiots who randomly shoot from Interstates have no respect for human life.  People see movies where people are shot, bombed, and mutilated.  Movies are make-believe and that actor blown to bits is completely well in the next movie.

Abortion, school shootings, euthanasia, child molestation, and all other manners of evil have no regard for human life.

January is the month that our churches observe Sanctity of Human life.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.  O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)

Hand-Me-Downs

 I remember one night my brothers, sister, and I got one the biggest surprises of our lives.  Our Uncle Everett, Aunt Mildred, and cousins Wayne and Judy came for a visit.  They had a great big cardboard box filled with toys, clothes, and shoes and it wasn’t even Christmas.

Wayne and Judy were older than we were and they decided to clean out their closets and toy boxes.  Uncle Everett and daddy served in the army together.  Coming home with daddy after doing basic training, Everett met Aunt Mildred.  They fell in love and married when WWII was over.

Uncle Everett was a tinkerer.  He had to know how things were made, tearing them apart whether or not they needed repair.

Aunt Mildred was my favorite Aunt on daddy’s side of the family.  The distinct characteristic about her was her feet apparel.  She wore what looked like a pair of orthopedic shoes and white socks.  That is not that unusual, excepting that she wore them with dresses.  Aunt Mildred could make you laugh just listening to her talk.  I remember several years back that I went to spend Thanksgiving with Uncle Everett and her.  Uncle Everett has gone to be with the Lord since that time.  Aunt Mildred and he were wonderful Christians.  What made that more wonderful was there were not many Christians in the Hopper family for along time.

That big old cardboard box had some great gifts for us.  I remember there was a red corduroy jacket in the box.  I was so proud of that dress corduroy jacket that I wore it for my fifth-grade school picture.  You know I found out later that that jacket was called a “hand-me-down.”  When I tell people that I wore “hand-me-downs” they ask, “I thought you were the oldest?”  I was in my immediate family, but way down the list with my cousins.

There was a Mattel toy gun with holster in the box.  It was a snub-nosed 38.  It had spring loaded brass shells with yellow plastic tips.  When you fired the gun, the spring in the shell would release the suppressed yellow bullet tip and it would sail through the air.

There was a remote controlled, battery operated, replica of a police car.  With the controls you could steer it, make the red light on top blink, and sound off the siren.  It was fun.  I could be a robber with a snub-nosed 38 and chase myself with the police car.

I remember that there were other great gifts in the box, but I remember these three most because those are the ones I claimed.  That pistol looked like the real thing.  In fact, Mattel made their toy guns so detailed to the real weapon, that they discontinued their guns because of being associated with violence and began making real weapons.  I never could figure out about that violence thing with toy guns.  I guess that is because I had a daddy that made sure I understood the difference between make believe and reality.  He reminded us over and over do not point a gun at anything unless you intended to kill it.  He helped me understand the meaning of receiving a gift or gifts.

As Uncle Everett, Aunt Mildred, Wayne, and Judy left that night, we realized we were special, and God’s people had blessed us with wonderful gifts.  The best gift they gave was love.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.  For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.  Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift (Second Corinthians 9:15 KJV).