FATHER-Constant Dependability

My father came from one of the poorest families in Houtzdale, PA. He was the second born of five children, having an older brother, two younger sisters, and a youngest brother. His father was an alcoholic who drank much of what should have been spent on the family and paying bills. His mother had to go to work at Sylvania in Altoona, PA when the children were small, to make up for the money my grandfather was drinking. She felt the responsibility for taking care of the family and paying the bills.

Dad’s older brother moved out at 15 to join the army (a relative signed for him even though he was underage). This left my father assuming the role of taking care of the younger children. He had to become the responsible one. Grandma would leave early, around 4am to drive to work. That left my dad getting his younger siblings up, dressed, fed, and out the door to school while my grandfather would be soundly sleeping off a night of hard drinking.

That sense of responsibility my father had instilled in him when he was young, continued throughout his life. After he graduated high school, he joined the army. When he completed his years of service in the army, he got a steady job as a union ironworker. Then he got married, and fathered children. After that he went to college to go into ministry.

My father remained dependable. When he became a small town pastor, and money was tight, dad would always make sure we went to the dentist and the doctor at least once a year (sometimes more if we needed fillings or shots). He always made sure we had a few new outfits for school and a new pair of shoes. I always had a new dress for Christmas and Easter with shoes to go with it for church. Dad always paid his bills on time. We never had creditors after us, even with his low salary.

The parishioner’s could count on dad. When the Steelers were in the Superbowl, he still had the church doors open on Sunday evening. The church family could call day or night. My father would go to the hospital, go to their home during a family crisis, or drive an older member to a doctor’s appointment. Church was conducted even if the roads were snowy and icy.

My father inspired trust because of his dedication, commitment, dependability, and acute sense of responsibility. I knew I could always count on him. I knew he’d be there for me. It was much easier for me to believe in a loving, caring God in Whom I could trust, because He gave me such a dependable, responsible, caring earthly father.