17 June 2018 - Sunday - Happy Father's Day!

17 June 2018 - Sunday

Last night, after I had finished my blog, the weather continued to turn cold and rainy.  As I looked outside, I saw this rainbow and had to take a picture of it!  Don't you love the promise of the rainbow as Heavenly Father intended it to be?

The colors were very sharp with the naked eye, but not such a great picture here

Mom and I celebrated Father's Day, this morning, as we opened our Sabbath Day with prayer and scripture reading.  We had been fasting since yesterday morning for the benefit of drawing closer to the Spirit in our daily lives.  It has been a weekly effort for so many years to sacrifice an additional day of fasting, each week, to help us in this effort.  And I think we are making some progress!

Mom went over to the Pavilion to call PopPop at 6:00am, but the weather had somehow disabled the sensitive phone connection.  The phone does have its days when it works well, and then it doesn't work at all!  We had our morning preparations completed by 7:00am, and were ready for our favorite breakfast foods.  Here is what we were looking at by 7:20am this morning;

Yes!  It was as good as it looks!  The only thing missing???

After breakfast was completed, and the dishes cleaned up, we got ready for the day.  We left the Missionary Village at 8:45am so that we could attempt to call PopPop at the Homestead phone at Martin's Cove.  We must have dialed him 25 times during the course of the day, but he was not answering!  However, we finally got him on the phone, this afternoon, and mom got to wish him a Happy Father's Day. 

As you all know, I was never able to wish my dad a Happy Father's Day.  I really did not think much about that deficiency until I was introduced to my friend Ellen Draper (Clasen).  I can still remember, vividly, the picture of the temple at her home in Fresno, and Ellen telling me about forever families.  This deep yearning for a connection to my dad has carried this senior missionary through many difficult times, and I have found it a pleasure and a privilege to be addressed as "dad".

My feelings have been that I had the opportunity to experience fatherhood, with Granny, in its fullness, with four precious children.  I have always loved being a dad, and I wanted to be the best dad I could be in hopes that my dad would someday tell me I did OK.  Every-time I heard a story about my dad from his mom, (Nana - Madeline Josie Howard Jones),  or any of his sisters or his brother, my mom and my mom's family who knew him, I knew I wanted to make him proud. 

One important characteristic that I know my dad had, was that he loved his wife and his children.  He wanted to be with them and enjoy life with them.. He loved surprising my mom and took extra time and effort to show his love to her with acts of kindness and empathy.   

You see, each story painted for me a positive picture of him.  I felt like he was a very good person, and who doesn't want to be like a very good person?  Now, I am certain he wasn't totally perfect, but all these stories from family, and from folks who worked with him  (that did not know I was his son), were always upbeat, and so fun to hear.  Having wonderful examples of who my father represented as a husband, and a father, and a brother, and a son, and a co-worker, made me want to be better and do better.  (Thank goodness I had help from Heavenly Father before I was a member of the Church!)

I am sure that all those people never really thought about how those stories would affect me, but that one evening at Ellen's house got me excited to see him again!  From that evening, until now, I have been given the sweet opportunity to be with my mom and my dad, again, through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Families can be together through authorized Priesthood ordinances in the temples that have been restored here in the last days.  

Our family can be together forever!  This one Gospel fact, provides the motivation for me to press forward with the faith to hold tight to the iron rod, and, to hang on tight to Granny's hand!  It is a  sacred privilege to be a father, and it is a sweet pleasure to be a grandfather in this precious family!