Happy  Father's  Day  Dad,

I write this letter from my heart to encourage you on Father's day. This day is to honor Fathers.

As my earthly Father I want to Thank You for dedicating your life in service to our family. We were always provided for by your willing hand at the plow as you worked faithfully to meet our every need.

You invested in our nutrition, education, our desire to participate in all sorts of extracurricular activities like boxing, baseball, wrestling, football, basketball, swimming, mini-biking, other sports, dance, cub scouts, and bowling.

You made sure we were baptized, had communion and attended our confirmations as well as all the catechism. You were clear on what you could and could not do financially with regards to college. This allowed me the opportunity to make a decision with solid information to seek scholarships, which required me to focus on learning and achieving.

You taught me how to play chess and all of the sports you had previous experience in.

You gave us what you never received..........time, energy and your heart (love).

You were always there for us in all situations, whether we were involved in good or bad, sick or healthy.

In this last year as our Mother became ill......I saw in you, the Love of Christ, the Love of the Heavenly Father, The Agape which is unconditional LOVE. I have seen a servant's heart in light of the difficult relationship you both have endured, even when at times it appeared non-sensical. Over 50 years of marriage is quite a feat in this age.

I have chosen to share a few thoughts with you now, while you are still alive, about your investment.

I fondly remember our family vacations in Tahoe, Disneyland, our family BBQ's, our visits to baseball games, fetching fowl balls at Bees stadium but the rides to the dump in the old 56 Ford pickup were great; especially the hamburgers and ice cream that followed.

Recently a family member who had been at odds with me made a statement to my wife, Kim:

I see how much Ron loves you, I see his convictions and they are strong for the LORD and I have never met anyone who works harder than Ron.

Thank You for setting many examples of how to live right.

 Thank You for loving us by action not with just words. You have made my life and world a better place filled with loving memories.

Your advice was mostly good.....seeming to balance my optimism in all things.

I pray you learn one thing from me.......how to grow more intimate with your heavenly Father....which can only come by reading his love letter to you.....The BIBLE and by praying, fasting, worshipping and letting the Holy Spirit guide you and lead you in all truths.

I love You DAD and have a strong desire for you to live eternally in an intimate relationship with your creator, your Heavenly Father as you allow him to be the LORD of your life in action not words.

Your SON, Ron

Karen's Father's Day Letter                      

          What I think about my dad is not so much what he got me, what we did together, how he trained me, or whether we laughed together, but it was the simple, straight forward thinking. We had a saying at our house, if it didn't cost anything and it is not sinful, we could do it. We lived on the adventurous side and some were memorable perhaps were: Getting up in the middle of the night to watch the firemen fight a big fire. Or arranging a picnic on the river sand bar in the middle of the Mississippi like Tom Sawyer. Or flooding our backyard to let it freeze so we could ice skate. Or was it eating rabbit or squirrel for supper that Dad shot on the hunting trip. Or was it dad tending the boat while I swam across the Mississippi (the river was a mile wide close to us).

          But what is still tender in my soul today after he has been gone nearly twenty years, is how to he put me back together again when life was tough and unfair and unfortunate. When I didn't have the life tools to figure it all out, dad was there. He was like all the kings men all wrapped up into one man who knew how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Yes, I had a great fall and all my pride, dreams, and health were gone, but Dad taught me how to get up and live again.

          How did he do it? He was only one, hard working man with lots of bumps himself. We did not have a lot of material wealth or goods. We lived in Iowa out in the middle of nowhere. There were four of us kids and mom who was bed-ridden during my junior and senior high school days. Dad pioneered or started four churches. How did dad do this? He loved God. He put God first.

          You see the key cannot be said strongly enough. It was that Dad loved God. When I was young, he told God that when the work to make a living was done, that he would give the rest of the time to build the church.  Perhaps the most miraculous times when he was a Watkins' salesman selling salves, talc's, fertilizers and chemicals. He had a network set up where he didn't always need money but bartered. From this farmer, he would sell fertilizer and take seed as pay. Then he would go to another farmer and sell seed to get chickens. Then sell those to get something else, making a profit on each transaction. Unless it was bringing home a pet fox for my brother. Dad could work four hours a week and make enough money to support the family. He even earned sales awards as top salesman for the state. You see DAD loved God.

          I remember my dad later in my life when I had made some unwise life decisions When I was sad and crying all the time. He cried with me. He would tell me how he wanted me to be happy. How he would give whatever he had to put me back together again. All while his health was failing fast. You see he knew how to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. He taught me perseverance, patience, long suffering; some of those things that people today don't know anything about.

          He was there when I needed him. When I was three, I ran across the street and got hit by a car. My clothes got caught on the bumper and I was dragged for a piece, until the car ran over my leg and pulled me down right next to the wheel. My uncle yelled stop and the retired kindergarten teacher stopped on a dime. They scooped me up and took me to the hospital. They needed to sew up my head and check out my leg. The doctor required the nurses to wake me up every hour on the hour for 24 hours to make sure I didn't have a concussion. The hospital made my parents go home that night and I stayed alone. My dad never let me forget what happened that night. I guess I was hurting pretty bad that night and in the wee hours I let the nurses have it. I want my Daddy. I want my daddy. They kept waking me up and I wanted my sleep. For years later up until he died, Dad would tell the story of how his only little girl wanted her daddy.

          You see, DAD taught me how to pray. How to trust in God. How to give my burdens to the Lord. How to live on a shoestring and be happy about it.Yes, we had adventure. But it was always with God by our side. The Father God kept us and showed us the way. You see the only thing I think of now when things go wrong is?Jesus. And I still want my daddy. Daddy GOD, take care of me.

          If you don't know JESUS, come to Him today! He loves you and will never forsake you.