He Wanted to be Like His Father...

 

He Wanted to be Like His Father…                      November 14, 2010    

By John W. Vander Velden

 

He wanted to be like his father…he was ten…was that so unusual.  His father was the strongest man he knew.  He had seen the man throw bales high above his head on a moving wagon.  He had seen him move rocks…no…boulders that dared to interfere with the tilling of the soil.  His father was tall…taller than most other men…he hoped he too would be tall…be strong…be brave.  How brave his father was…certainly there was nothing that man feared.  When the nights were especially dark…when the wind howled…when noises…creepy…fearful noises came out of the night.  His father strode out to meet whatever lurked in the darkness, often without even the smallest of light in hand.  He climbed ladders up the side of silos.  He had seen him…with his own eyes he had seen him…climb up a silo…then without any thought throw his leg over the very staves and scoot himself along the edge around the tippy-top…a rope in one hand and a pulley in the other.  He had seen it…that and a thousand other things his father had done without fear.  His father was respected…whether it was at church or the elevator…whether it was at the hardware or an auction…other men greeted him with awe and showed him honor…they called him Mr.. His father was kind…he was gentle.  His voice could be soft…warm.  He had seen the man hold his baby sister…he had seen the eyes so…so soft.  He had seen it most often in the way the great man…the big man…treated his mother…how he listened…how he looked…how he cared. 

Yes, he wanted to be like his father.  Not that the man was perfect…he knew better.  He had seen the man lose his temper…how dark and terrible those moments had been…but even then the man never struck anyone…never!  He knew there were times his father forgot…or said he had forgotten…and how others felt the pain of being forgotten…even if it were but for an instant… No, the man was not perfect…the big tall broad man…the strong man…the honest respected man…the brave courageous man…was not a perfect man…but the boy wanted to be like his father. 

He loved his mother…It was she that had bathed him when he was too young to do so…she dressed him when buttons refused to slide through those difficult slits on the front of his shirt…surely there was time…a time before he could remember…when she even fed him…just as she now fed his younger brother.  He remembered when he was ill…those nights when the pain would not let him sleep…she was there…always there.  When he was afraid…it was to her arms her ran…she held him…kept him safe.  Her arms were warm…stronger than others might know…yes, she kept him safe.  She was beautiful…no one could convince him otherwise…he knew the truth.  How hard she labored…how tireless she was.  When he needed someone to listen…her ears were always near.  When he fell…she lifted him to his feet…kissed the wound and sent him on his way.  When he received any award…he knew it was her heart he melted.

 

Yes, he loved his mother…but he knew she was not perfect.  There were times…not often but times…when she had ignored him…others were more important…or so it seemed…and he was left out.  There were times she was hard…when nothing he could do would please…when nothing he could say would satisfy.  There were times when she seemed cold…times though rare when the room itself seemed to cool in her presence.  No, the woman was not perfect…tender and kind woman…the smiling…the gentle…the strong woman was not perfect…but the boy so loved his mother. 

Is it wrong…is it wrong that a ten year old boy would feel so.  I say no!  I say absolutely no!!!  It is very right for a child…for any child to admire his father and love his mother!!!  God help parents unworthy…for all tomorrows stand on the foundations of today…and each child will one day…one day much sooner than we might expect…grow up…and as they mature…they will have been shaped...shaped most by those closest…their mother…their father. 

He wanted to be like his father… He loved his mother…  He was indeed blessed!!!   

(704 Words)