Post by Ms. Kathy on Jun 18, 2004 14:32:50 GMT -6
As Agape Lady for the mens' Kairos Teams during the 6-8 week team unity forming period I usually send reminders, words of encouragement, tips for gathering Agape (donations, cookies, letters, etc.) Below is the latest for this occasion.
Dear Kairos Family,
I want to tell you about one of the most stubborn, pigheaded men I know--my dad. Of course, I can say that, but you'd better not!
My dad's doctor told him years ago that he had to watch his diet, stop smoking, get exercise and stay on his meds for high blood pressure. Well, he wanted to do what he wanted to do--and his first stroke came in 1980. He recuperated and picked up where he left off.
Since then he has almost had a foot and some toes amputated due to poor circulation. The artery on one side of his neck is almost completely blocked and has been for years now. He's had the major artery that is Y-shaped and stretches from the chest to the legs has been replaced. He's had between 6-8 more strokes and a tube put in his stomach for feeding. He can now eat regular food again although he still has a cough if he tries to eat too fast or eat things that are rather grainy. His heart is a bit enlarged. He uses a walker around the house because the doctor warned him to get exercise or his legs would stiffen up again. They have. Sometimes he scoots around the neighborhood in his "Rascal" scooter chair. But in his stubborness he is insistent on his way. He continues to eat his bacon and Hershey's chocolate nuggets to his heart's-or rather his stomach's-- content. Every morning either my mother or myself will have to make sure he has his daily stack of 6 hotcakes.
Though caring for him is difficult, I thank God for it because my dad has four grown bio-children and hundreds of kids from Arkansas to South Louisiana and beyond---because he was in education for over 40 years.
When he was in high school he had to go to a boarding school because there was no public school for Black students in his town. His stubborness kept him in school. His older brother was going to pay for him to go to med school but was killed before he could do that. Some people said my dad should just come home but he just changed his major to education. He enlisted in the Navy in WWII and returned after his service to finish college.
He started out teaching at a high school in Arkansas where he taught history, science and was the basketball coach for the boys' and girls' teams. He didn't acccept that he wasn't suppose to use the school bus to take his students to ball games. So when the principal said Black kids didn't ride the bus even though their parents paid the same taxes, he went over his head to the superintendant. He had to drive the bus himself and make sure that gas was in it. He had to leave the school when the super discovered he had earned a Master's Degree---from his university. The excuse was that they could not afford to pay a Black teacher with that much education. That was the first time the parents spoke up to try to keep him there.
Later, when I was small I remember the 1st-12th school in another town where he was principal. That was like family and they were sad to see us leave. My dad moved us to Fayetteville where he worked a couple of jobs while working on his PhD. My mother styled hair in the evenings. He was not supposed to be able to do this but his stubborness, once again saw him through. He was offered several jobs including a secondary ed professorship at Southern University--which is how our family moved to Baton Rouge. He insisted on working with students so he passed up a few positions including a job at LSU and in Kansas. He complained about the type of Louisiana politics at SU--since he was a native Arkansan, but he remained there for his students and never gave in to the politics. We saw that it hurt him several times, but we never saw him stop. He would go to work with the flu and kept an open-door policy to his office--even after he stepped out of the chair of secondary ed position.
He hasn't taught since 1995 when stroke #6 made him weak but I still meet people who ask me if he's my dad and they tell me how much he inspired them and made them laugh during the most difficult classes. He still has his sense of humor and I have to share jokes people send me via email. When he gets ready to retell them he his mind moves faster than his lips so he will say, "Help me tell 'em about the frog at the bank!"
Over the years, former undergrad students tell me he inspired them to go to grad school and former grad students tell about him encouraging them to get earn a Phd.
A few years ago when he could stand for longer periods, I drove him to Arkansas for a reunion of his former high school students, where he was honored and asked to be the featured speaker. That was pretty impressive, I must say! I heard a lot of stories about him that weekend--and a lot of jokes!
I'm sharing this with you about my stubborn old dad-- for whom I have to chauffeur now and go the way he is comfy with-- because although he has only four biological children, he has many kids all over from central Arkansas, South Louisiana and beyond. He taught them, encouraged them and showed them by example.
That is true about you--because all of you, whether or not you have biological children, are being watched and inspired by the next generation. The mere fact that you willfully participate in this ministry shows what kind of Christian you are--not a "pew warming" Christian but and active particpating Christian. Somebody is watching and learning from you withput your ever having said a thing! So to you I include this link...and I pray that there is someone to whom you can think of fondly or forward it to or just pray about:
Click here or paste this link into your browser:
www.americangreetings.com/display.pd?path=27100&bfrom=1&prodnum=3004273&
or for AOL and WMConnect users
<a href="http://www.americangreetings.com/display.pd?path=27100&bfrom=1&prodnum=3004273&">Click here</a>
[shadow=red,left,300]Happy Father's Day![/shadow]
Dear Kairos Family,
I want to tell you about one of the most stubborn, pigheaded men I know--my dad. Of course, I can say that, but you'd better not!
My dad's doctor told him years ago that he had to watch his diet, stop smoking, get exercise and stay on his meds for high blood pressure. Well, he wanted to do what he wanted to do--and his first stroke came in 1980. He recuperated and picked up where he left off.
Since then he has almost had a foot and some toes amputated due to poor circulation. The artery on one side of his neck is almost completely blocked and has been for years now. He's had the major artery that is Y-shaped and stretches from the chest to the legs has been replaced. He's had between 6-8 more strokes and a tube put in his stomach for feeding. He can now eat regular food again although he still has a cough if he tries to eat too fast or eat things that are rather grainy. His heart is a bit enlarged. He uses a walker around the house because the doctor warned him to get exercise or his legs would stiffen up again. They have. Sometimes he scoots around the neighborhood in his "Rascal" scooter chair. But in his stubborness he is insistent on his way. He continues to eat his bacon and Hershey's chocolate nuggets to his heart's-or rather his stomach's-- content. Every morning either my mother or myself will have to make sure he has his daily stack of 6 hotcakes.
Though caring for him is difficult, I thank God for it because my dad has four grown bio-children and hundreds of kids from Arkansas to South Louisiana and beyond---because he was in education for over 40 years.
When he was in high school he had to go to a boarding school because there was no public school for Black students in his town. His stubborness kept him in school. His older brother was going to pay for him to go to med school but was killed before he could do that. Some people said my dad should just come home but he just changed his major to education. He enlisted in the Navy in WWII and returned after his service to finish college.
He started out teaching at a high school in Arkansas where he taught history, science and was the basketball coach for the boys' and girls' teams. He didn't acccept that he wasn't suppose to use the school bus to take his students to ball games. So when the principal said Black kids didn't ride the bus even though their parents paid the same taxes, he went over his head to the superintendant. He had to drive the bus himself and make sure that gas was in it. He had to leave the school when the super discovered he had earned a Master's Degree---from his university. The excuse was that they could not afford to pay a Black teacher with that much education. That was the first time the parents spoke up to try to keep him there.
Later, when I was small I remember the 1st-12th school in another town where he was principal. That was like family and they were sad to see us leave. My dad moved us to Fayetteville where he worked a couple of jobs while working on his PhD. My mother styled hair in the evenings. He was not supposed to be able to do this but his stubborness, once again saw him through. He was offered several jobs including a secondary ed professorship at Southern University--which is how our family moved to Baton Rouge. He insisted on working with students so he passed up a few positions including a job at LSU and in Kansas. He complained about the type of Louisiana politics at SU--since he was a native Arkansan, but he remained there for his students and never gave in to the politics. We saw that it hurt him several times, but we never saw him stop. He would go to work with the flu and kept an open-door policy to his office--even after he stepped out of the chair of secondary ed position.
He hasn't taught since 1995 when stroke #6 made him weak but I still meet people who ask me if he's my dad and they tell me how much he inspired them and made them laugh during the most difficult classes. He still has his sense of humor and I have to share jokes people send me via email. When he gets ready to retell them he his mind moves faster than his lips so he will say, "Help me tell 'em about the frog at the bank!"
Over the years, former undergrad students tell me he inspired them to go to grad school and former grad students tell about him encouraging them to get earn a Phd.
A few years ago when he could stand for longer periods, I drove him to Arkansas for a reunion of his former high school students, where he was honored and asked to be the featured speaker. That was pretty impressive, I must say! I heard a lot of stories about him that weekend--and a lot of jokes!
I'm sharing this with you about my stubborn old dad-- for whom I have to chauffeur now and go the way he is comfy with-- because although he has only four biological children, he has many kids all over from central Arkansas, South Louisiana and beyond. He taught them, encouraged them and showed them by example.
That is true about you--because all of you, whether or not you have biological children, are being watched and inspired by the next generation. The mere fact that you willfully participate in this ministry shows what kind of Christian you are--not a "pew warming" Christian but and active particpating Christian. Somebody is watching and learning from you withput your ever having said a thing! So to you I include this link...and I pray that there is someone to whom you can think of fondly or forward it to or just pray about:
Click here or paste this link into your browser:
www.americangreetings.com/display.pd?path=27100&bfrom=1&prodnum=3004273&
or for AOL and WMConnect users
<a href="http://www.americangreetings.com/display.pd?path=27100&bfrom=1&prodnum=3004273&">Click here</a>
[shadow=red,left,300]Happy Father's Day![/shadow]
