“You and God” recently featured two now deceased men (“My Heroes”) who impacted my life immeasurably—Dr. Monroe Parker and my father-in-law, Marvin Beshears. I received several replies from friends who mentioned people who had greatly impacted their own lives, including one brother who mentioned his parents. I had said that I would write a follow-up about another hero or two. So, in this issue, I want to honor my father, whose imprint upon my soul will live as long as I am in the body.
I wrote, in poetic form, several tributes to my dad when he was alive, for birthdays and Father’s Day, so I want to share with you one of those poems. It expresses my deep, heartfelt appreciation for my first and foremost hero here on earth, my dear Dad, who took up residence in heaven in 2007 at the age of 94:
Today our dad is fourscore years; he’s mingled toil and sweat and tears.
A faithful father he has been, a crown of glory he shall win.
His children five today—less one—who answered God’s high call to “come”—
Join hearts and hands and voices, too, in raising praises surely due.
His faith in God has been a light, to guide us on through many a night,
And his example strong and true, helped us to know what we should do.
His love of family, friends and wife, has been supreme through all his life.
He is a man who stands up tall, and over him not one did fall.
His hands have worked in sweat and toil, in shops, in pits and in the soil.
He’s suffered cold and heat and pain, but never once did he complain.
He’s been a doctor, seer and guide, in whom we freely could confide;
He’s got a loving heart of gold—the half has never yet been told.
We honor you today, our Dad, You’ve always made us proud and glad.
We celebrate your years fourscore, and wish you many, many more.
My Dad, my hero, Theodore Roosevelt Slutz, lived to be 94, dying a few months after his wife, our mother, passed away, having celebrated 72 years of the oneness of marriage by the grace of our good God.
“By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life.” (General Douglas MacArthur, National Father of the Year, 1942.) My Dad enlisted to be a soldier but was asked to stay home in World War II. He was the kind of father MacArthur spoke of in this statement on “Fatherhood.”
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24)
“Who can find a faithful husband, for his price is far above that of a Cadillac or even a Rolls Royce. The heart of his wife doth safely trust in him whether or not he is on a business trip, or comes home late from work. He learns to use the tools of his trade and isn’t afraid of a hard days work. He tries to do the best for his family as long as he lives.” (Note: I do not know who wrote these lines, which parallel the Proverbs 31 wife; if you would like a copy of the complete text, just contact me at trbcpastor@sbcglobal.net.)
YOU and GOD 