“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me
watch him do it.” Clarence Budington
Kelland, The Simplify-Your-Life Quote
Book, (New York: Random House, 2005), 54.
My dad was a man of few words, but he lived his God-fearing,
hardworking life and set a good example. One childhood memory: following him
down the hilly farm path as we walked checking on cattle and horses. Dad said, “follow in my footsteps because
there are snakes around here. If you
follow me on the path, I will see the snakes first and keep you safe.” I knew
there were snakes because he had more than once brought dead snakes for us to
see. The dead carcasses were poisonous
snakes, like rattlesnakes and copperheads.
He had encountered and killed the snakes during his walks around the
farm and he wanted us to know of the danger.
While his instructions had a practical purpose (protect me
from the snakes), there was also a life lesson implied in his words and his
life: revere God, work hard, commit to
your family, and persevere until you succeed.
Good lessons. A good memory.
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