My Daddy

I've just come in from having lunch with my Daddy and my brother. Remarkable, isn't it? My Daddy and stepmother consider Troy, AL to be "home," but they have a townhouse in Athens, and about every 6 weeks or so, they drive up and stay about a week, connecting with relatives in this part of the state, especially my brother and me.

I went by the townhouse this morning to pick him up, but he insisted on driving because he had a new (to him) Prius and wanted to show off its bells and whistles. He's 83 years old now, but I wasn't even nervous with him at the wheel.

We met my brother in Decatur -- he has worked for 3M Company for 35 years and was "due" an extended lunch -- and had a great time, laughing, teasing each other, and sharing our hearts. It's what we do.

Even though Dad received an honorary doctorate from Mobile College back in the early 1980's, I think I'm the only one who consistently addresses mail to him with "Dr. Tom Collier."

To my children and grandchildren, he is "Gramps."

To hundreds of people who lived on the campus of the Alabama Baptist Children's Home between 1960 and 1990, he's respectfully known as "Mr. Collier."

To former students where he taught, coached basketball, or was the principal, he is "Mr. Collier."

To a huge host of friends and relatives, he's "Tom."

But, to me, he's "Daddy."

My Daddy is an extremely intelligent man. He is particularly good with numbers and a calculator (a trait my daughter Laura inherited), and loves "wheeling and dealing." He'd rather find a bargain than eat the fish that Steve catches and cleans for him, and he LOVES fried fish. :)

My Daddy has been a pillar in the Baptist church for as long as I can remember. His opinion matters to a lot of people, and his wisdom is widely-recognized.

My Daddy plays the piano by ear, and has gotten quite accomplished on his harmonica in recent years. His favorite audiences are folks in nursing homes and his great-grandchildren. He loves getting me to play duets with him, which is something of a feat since he always plays in the key of D-flat. :)

My Daddy's memory is amazing. He prides himself on seeing or hearing of someone from his past and being able to recall the names of everybody in that person's family. He rarely messes up.

My Daddy grew up as the son of a Limestone County sharecropper. I asked him today how many years he worked in the cotton fields, and he said "from the time I could carry a hoe until I got married."

He got both his bachelor's and his master's degrees from Athens College, now Athens State University and was the only one in his family to ever get past high school.

He loved my mother with his whole heart for the 37 1/2 years they were married. A year and a half after she died, he married June Mabray, and they've now been married for 24 years. He has been very blessed in both marriages.

It has been the desire of my heart for my whole life to make my Daddy proud of me, and I know that I will always feel that way.

He doesn't read blogs, so I doubt he'll ever read this, but let me tell YOU. I love my Daddy.