When I was growing up, my Dad would always say, “Love everybody!” He’d say it in random moments, not in deep conversations about how to live; he would just speak into the air, “Love everybody!” Often, his words were never meant to address me or anyone in particular, just the environment, just the general group of persons who chose to hear. ”Love everybody!” There were times he’d direct words to me. He’d say, “Be sweet!”, something I understood as a child. ”Be sweet!” meant to treat others with kindness. I got the message.
My Dad is a very positive person. But the way he treats others is what I will carry with me to my grave. Recently some one told me his 90 year old father always told him, “Treat everyone as though they have a broken heart.” I thought of my Dad, and realized there are other Dad’s like mine who raise kids to think of the other. To love others. I told the person, “You are blessed to have him as a father.”
My Dad has lived as righteous a life as any one can. He grew up on a farm, fought in World War II, was married for over 60 years, is a faithful church member, votes at every election, is extremely frugal, worked with the state caring for juvenile delinquents most of his working life, has more friends than anyone I know but never boasts about it, and writes probably forty letters and postcards a week. He has pursued a hobby of cutting newspaper clippings of people that have done good things. He writes a note with the clipping and mails it to the person. He’s been doing this for 50 or 60 years.
My Dad has sent me on average one letter for every week since I was 17 years old. I’ve never been able to throw a letter away, so I have boxes of letters in the attic and in cabinets. He fills the letters with the mundane, many things I already know from speaking with him on the phone. He includes clippings from the local Jackson, Mississippi newspaper. I read each one trying to understand what it is he thought I’d find interesting about that clipping. In his letters, he’ll always say something positive, like, “God loves you, and so do I.” Or, “Behind the clouds, the sun is still shining.” Or, “Roses are red, violets are blue, angels in heaven know I love you.” His letters are reassuring. They are kind and thoughtful. They reflect his view on life. Live simply. Pay your bills. Love God. Love your family. Oh, and of course, “Love everybody!”
