God bless the conservative father

Many of us were fortunate to be raised by a responsible, moral, conservative father --  imperfect though he may have been.  He scoffed when his children cried, "that's not fair."  He taught us work before play, the value of money, self-respect, right and wrong, and the limits of government and the power of personal responsibility -- if not in words, by his example.   I am grateful for many blessings, but a conservative father (Everett Wiley Wilson) is chief among them.

I use the word conservative with a small "c". While he voted Republican most his life, politically he was probably a Libertarian. He listened to Neal Bortz everyday after he retired. His conservative world view did spill over into his politics. My own father never organized anyone.  He expected people to organize their own lives, and their own communities, free from the obstacle of tyrannical government preferably.   He never presumed to rule over another, nor did he expect anyone to tell him how to live his life.   He never lectured from stadiums grandiosely flanked by Greek columns, but his words resonated.  He never padded a resume, nor embellished, let alone created, his own history.  And yet, his history speaks volumes.

My father grew up with strong, Christian, honorable men who served and defended this great nation, knew hard work (he was 10 when the Great Depression started in 1929), God-given liberty, and right and wrong.  My father grew up when Sunday was reserved for family and church; before helmets were required to walk to the mailbox; and before putting the playground bully in his place with a discreet right hook was criminal.   He knew how to change the oil in his own car, and how to farm and garden before leftists commandeered produce for social change.  He watched great men land on the moon, and even greater men returning from war.  He understood why soldiers fought those wars, and he was grateful and humbled.  He fought in World War II and didn't like to talk about it. He grew up before MTV was around to bash Christians, and glamorize teen pregnancy, victimhood, bad behavior, and hedonistic drunkards from the Jersey Shore.   To my knowledge, my father never dealt drugs, ate dog, nor perfectly recited the Islamic call to prayer.

So, God bless the conservative father. May we have more of them.

"Leave things better than you found them." ~Everett Wiley Wilson (my father)

I can hear my dad (Everett Wiley Wilson) now. I'm playing baseball. Normally I am catching but today I am playing left field (or "left out" as my dad would call it). There is always plenty of time on your hands in left field. Not much action.

My dad is the coach. He wanders down the line and asks me to pick up rocks in between pitches and throw them off the field. "Why" I say in my best indignant tone of voice.If I had thought about it I would have known what his answer would be. It wasn't the first time he said it. It wouldn't be his last.

"Leave things better than you found them", he says. And so ... I picked up rocks and threw them off the field. I left things better than I found them. I was no worse for the wear.

That is the way my dad lived his life. It was important to him. It was almost a holy obligation. We weren't here to take from others. We are here to serve. We must leave things better than we found them. This meant in the simple things in life. Playing baseball. Walking through a room. Work. It doesn't matter.

My dad taught me lots of great things like that. Simple but very important.

I miss him but he is with me in these important lessons I learned from him. As a father myself, I hope I am passing this along as well.

"Leave things better than you found them." ~Everett Wiley Wilson

Our Father would rather do it right than do it quick!

Our Father would rather do it right than do it quick! He is in the "doing it right" business.

Now, in a culture of "I want it now", that may come as a shock. He knows what He is doing. He is doing it right. He is doing it. I can count on that. He is a strong man. Mighty in every way. He is doing it and doing right. I must lean in to hear Him and what He wants. Nothing is impossible with Him.

He so ROCKS.