Don's Dad

I have a running joke with Diana that as I become my mother, she becomes me.  We both laugh about it, but we both know it is true.

The same thing is happening to Don.  As he becomes his dad, Kenneth is turning into him.  The good news is . . . there are worse people to be like.

Don's dad is a simple man.  He was a brick layer, he stacked hay, he fattened cattle.  He worked hard.  He worked very hard, and he passed that work ethic on to all of his boys.  He is a man of faith.  Attending church is something he has done his whole life.  He and Ruthie built their family around God.  When I came into the family, I loved that they said grace at every meal.  My family did not.  But I knew I wanted that in my family.

Don's dad loves his family.  We give him grief about all of the family reunions we have attended, but Don remains close to his cousins (even though I still cannot keep a few of them straight).  Kenny loves to be with his boys, and it shows.

Don's dad is easy to please.  Whatever Ruthie put on the table, Kenny ate . . . and he taught his boys to do the same.  Whether it is steak or leftovers, they were to be grateful for the food.  After Ruthie passed away, he told Kenneth that one night he would have a ham and cheese sandwich; the next night he had cheese and ham.

Practical he is.  He could fix anything.  He is a good problem solver.  And he loves his daughters-in-law.

Don's dad showed his boy what it meant to be a man.  He showed the boys that they need to love God, love their wife, love family, and be grateful for what God gives us.  I am lucky that I married his son, who is, in many ways, just like him.