Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

America is great, still

February 18, 2024

I remember this commercial. Do you?

I am a child of the fifties. I began school in the fall of 1960. When the decade changed to the seventies, I was in high school. I wrote a feature story about how it felt to begin a new decade which was published in my high school newspaper. I wanted to become a journalist. That was where I was headed.

I remember when Allan Shepherd became the first American to fly in the first Mercury manned spacecraft. I watched Walter Cronkite in front of our TV as Mr. Shepherd took that historic ride. I was there for the launch of all six Mercury flights including John Glenn’s Friendship 7 orbital flight and Gordon Cooper’s final Mercury flight in Faith 7.

The original plan was for the first three flights to be sub-orbital.

I watched every launch of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. I saw most of the splashdowns. My life revolved around the NASA space program and the astronauts. When I graduated from high school, there was one more moon mission to be flown. In my opinion, the manned space program showed the greatness of America.

Yes, we beat the Russians to the moon. We do not know for sure, but it is assumed that more cosmonauts were lost during their programs than were killed in our entire history of space flight. Does this make America great? I think that depends on your perspective.

The Russians who put themselves at risk were willing to risk their lives just as Americans and others have. America has never been great because of our government. We are great because of our people. Our government started the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; however, it took courageous men to go into space. These men were my heroes.

As a boy, teenager, young man, and eventually a father I looked at these heroes as people that I wanted to emulate. I knew I did not have the courage, physical stamina, and intelligence that astronauts had. I did have the courage to become a husband and father. My dad had been my hero for many years. He was up there with those astronauts.

I had given up my dream of being a journalist to surrender to be a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I trained to be a preacher, I learned that what made America great was the gospel of Christ as it has been represented in the American citizen. Not everyone born in the United States does things that make this country great.

Today there is a slogan used by a political group Make America Great Again. This is abbreviated MAGA. Because of the person who started using this slogan while running for President, many of us do not view MAGA as a positive force. My personal viewpoint has always been that America is great because of great Americans.

You are probably one of these people that I am talking about. How do we make our country great? We must be good citizens. That means respecting others and being willing to work. We must be kind to others. Patience is a virtue. There are many virtues.

I find it depressing that some believe that America is great or not because of whoever is President. He is one man. An entire country is not good or bad because of one man. Our constitution says that our government is by the people and for the people. A person is singular. We the people is plural.

I believe that it is our responsibility to Keep America Great. Would you comment below if you agree that we must keep America great? I would like to see as many of us who are making this a wonderful world adopt the slogan Keep America Great, not Make America Great Again. Which do you believe in, an America that needs to be made great or keeping it great by treating others as we want to be treated?

Labor intensive

February 1, 2024

We all work too hard. Or do we? On weekend mornings when my wife is off work, we fix a nice breakfast wash dishes, and clean up the kitchen. When I was a boy, we had no dishwasher. When my mom was a girl, the water had to be carried from the pump outside the house.

Her father and brothers butchered the hog and cured the bacon. Her mother made the sausage. Her sisters gathered the eggs, milked the cow, and helped make the biscuits and gravy. Grandma told Mom stories of helping to harvest and thresh the wheat each year and take it to the grist mill for grinding into flour.

Mom’s grandma told them she had to grind the corn and wheat by hand. They only processed enough each day for what they needed for that day’s meals. Her father went out in the woods and shot game for each day’s meals. Some days there was nothing in the area and he tried to catch fish. If that failed, bread or mush was all they had.

I work too hard when I plant my garden or mow my lawn. Some days the old push mower is hard to start. Last year I had to have someone help me put the belt back on my rider. Gas and oil are so expensive that some weeks it can feel like I would like to go back to the old push mower my dad used when he mowed their lawn on Nichols Street.

He told us, boys, that sharpening the blades on that mower was much more difficult with a file than taking the blade off our gas-powered mower and sharpening it with a grinder. He often wished that he was like his grandfather and only had to plow and harvest the garden and did not need to mow the yard because the goats and sheep took care of that.

In one of the jobs I had, I worked fifty hours a week for the same money I was paid at my previous position for a forty-hour week. I worked too hard for that money. At another company, I worked for sixty hours or more each week to get that business back on its feet. I spent three months with only one other employee to help.

I’ve read that in the early history of this country it was not unusual for factory and office workers to work an eighty-to-ninety-hour week for less than a dollar a week. That is why they came here because they had a chance to start their own businesses and not be dependent on an owner and would have something to hand to their children. Social Security did not exist until the 1930s. Most people could never retire unless their families could support them when they could no longer work.

I don’t even want to think about the farm by Marshfield that I went to with my brothers for two weeks each summer to help shovel out the silo, harvest the garden, and pick wild blueberries, strawberries, and gooseberries for little pay. Well, maybe come to think of it, I don’t work as hard as I thought.

Thanks for reading this, now I must go take my lunch out of the freezer pop it in the microwave, and wait a few minutes before I can eat. Life sure is hard in the twenty-first century.

Ground hog day

January 31, 2024

Yes, February second is just around the corner. Most of us just ignore the note on the calendar. There are no sales on Amazon, Penney’s, or Kohls. We do not have the day off from our jobs unless we schedule vacation. What is there to say or write about this stupid holiday?

I want to promote traditional meals like Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanuka. We do receive time off for some of these festivals. We still put together a big meal for our families. They are full of traditional dishes from our cultures that have been passed down for weeks, months, or even years. Some are traditions spanning over ten years.

This year it falls on a Friday. Your family may want to celebrate on Saturday or Sunday. Be like the Reagans from the “Blue Bloods” show and have a Sunday dinner for once. They do it every week and someone is almost always called during the meal. Your group does not have to solve a murder, a terrorist crisis, or even the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Eggs are for Easter, barbeque is for Independence Day, turkey for Thanksgiving, and green beer is served on St. Patrick’s Day. What could we possibly serve for Groundhog’s Day? When my children were young, I served sausage on a Saturday that was designated on the calendar as this neglected holiday. I informed them that we would begin this special day by eating the ground hog.

They were not reading my words. They thought I said groundhog. No space between two words. I continue this tradition when I can. This year I decided that instead of promoting what the politicians are trying to shove down our throats I wanted to encourage the hog farmers to keep up the good work. They have a legitimate reason for slinging slop.

At some point on Groundhog Day weekend serve your favorite kind of ground hog. It can be links, patties, Italian sausage on a pizza, or any other form of ground pork in whatever recipe your family enjoys. For those of you in the northern states that have never heard of it you could even serve biscuits with sausage gravy. I remember asking for them in a hotel restaurant in Philadelphia one morning and the waitress looked at me like I was crazy.

That may have been justified because some know I am crazy. She had just met me and had no other clue about my mental status. Family recipes can be used to enhance any celebration. Do you have a breakfast casserole recipe that you use for Christmas which includes sausage? This is the perfect time to serve it for lunch or dinner.

I know some of my readers may wonder why I am having fun with this whimsical holiday. I enjoy trying to be funny when I write. It is difficult to insert humor when you are speaking of serious subjects. I have the most fun when I can sound ridiculous in what is a truly outrageous column. Join me on the second of February with possibly your first Groundhog Day ground hog feast. Enjoy.

Liking your job

January 20, 2024

My first job was as a fry cook at Dog ‘N Suds drive-in in Springfield, Missouri. It paid $1.25/hour. I loved it. Mr. and Mrs. Costello were the owners. Two of their three sons worked there also. They were still in school. I was a student at Hillcrest High School. This was the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Most of the other employees were or had been students at Central High School. We had a great time.

Within a few months, I was trained to do everything in the small kitchen. I learned to make root beer and cola syrups and place the containers on the drink fountains. I took orders from the speaker and even helped the carhops take orders out. I chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. I closed some evenings and even came over during the school year and missed a class or two my senior year. New employees came and left. Between my freshman and sophomore year in college, I also left.

My Mom worked at the Zenith Television plant. She helped me get on. I had turned eighteen the previous summer and met the age requirement. I loved the pay. I hated the job. I was working on a final line. My job was to hang the tuner and put in three or four screws depending on the model going down the conveyor. If it had not been for my German vocabulary cards, I would have gone insane. It was dull boring work.

My first week I learned that I was not to help the people next to me on the line. There were two screws the person before me had to tighten. They were already installed. Sometimes the set was in front of me, and these bolts had not been torqued down. I was reprimanded when the supervisor caught me doing this after my job was done.

The screws I installed were the same size as the ones the next guy had to put in. He then hung something on them and tightened them down. When I picked up these screws from my bin, I might have two extra and thought it efficient to put them in when I had time. That was also a no-no. This was a union job. Each employee had their own job to do. You could not help each other. That was stupid to me.

At the end of the summer, I quit before I had to join the union and returned to college. I went to work at a restaurant as a busboy and dishwasher. The work was not hard. It also was not challenging. The pay was not as good as the factory, but I was back in classes.

The next fall I commuted thirty miles to college and the second semester I lived in a dormitory. I did not work my junior year and spent the summer working as a summer missionary in Pennsylvania. The pay was not much. I learned a great deal about Christian ministry. When I returned home, my fiancé and I started planning our spring wedding after graduating.

I took a job at a new fast-food chain that was opening. It was the first in the area. By the time I graduated, I was offered a job in the management trainee program. I took it and they moved us. I left because of problems with the management and worked several jobs before we returned to Springfield. I had worked in management at a convenience store, as a door-to-door salesman, and as a marketing director for a small company. These were added to my resume.

Back at home, I took a sales position at a retail pet store. I moved to another store as the manager and then left there to take a job for the wholesale company the owner had that supplied his stores and others in the area. I was the assistant livestock manager because I had read everything I could about the pets. When the purchasing agent left my two previous bosses recommended me for the job. They both told the owner that I could do anything they asked of me.

I have always enjoyed learning something new and taking on challenges. When I left there, I started as a parts distributor for the manufacturing industry. I was hired as the purchasing agent and became office manager, outside sales, inside sales, and ultimately operations manager. After twenty-five years I was passed over for the branch manager’s position.

My district supervisor described me as the best inside guy in the company. When I was operations manager, I worked both the office and in outside sales putting in eighty or more hours a week for the same money. For the first time in three years, we returned to making a profit for the company. I was rewarded by having a former employee re-hired and made my boss.

My next position was as a buyer for one of the companies that was a customer for the last twenty-five years. I was done with sales. I continued to work for manufacturers until I retired as purchasing manager. Each position had good and bad points and good and bad management and employees. There is no perfect job. Life is as good as you want to make it. That includes your work life. Learn all you can to be able to move to the next level. That may not be at your current company.

If your employer offers training through a local college or trade school, take advantage of it. Give the loyalty and hard work that is required for each new position. Do not stay any longer than you must when situations change from good to bad. Do not change jobs because someone has offered you more money.

There is a reason they want you and it may not be as advantageous a position as you think at first. Many coworkers over the years left the company we worked for only to return when they were terminated. I turned down jobs because God told me not to take them. Once I wanted a position so badly that I prayed for it not to be offered to me if it was not where I should be. They did not and I eventually found a better position.

I’ve been laid off, fired, and quit. I’ve lost jobs I liked and ones I hated. Bosses have liked me, hated me, abused me, and taken advantage of me. The one I have always tried to please is Jesus whom I call Lord. I work for Him and He has always had my back. That is the best advice I can give you about liking what you are doing. “Work as unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:23

Creators

January 18, 2024

There is a term that is used today for those of us who are creative. We are often called makers. I understand that. We use words, materials, ideas, and objects to “make” something. We are not creating something from nothing as Jehovah did when He brought the universes into being. I am still a creator when I use my thoughts to form words and ideas.

There are those of us who have not experimented with this ability to take what we possess and make it something new and unusual. I like doing things that are un-e-kew. You normally think of it as unique. I pronounce it my own way, un-e-kew. I also create words and phrases that you have not heard before. Often, I find out that I did not create them.

I wanted a way to designate political party members as being overboard in the way they embraced their political party affiliation. I refer to them as Republicrats and Demicans. It does not matter what group you stand for, if you believe that you are always correct and anyone who agrees with you is also infallible then you fit the meaning of these words.

A Young Republican once was explaining to me why a democratic congressman should be forced to step down while a Republican who was accused of the same things could wait until he was actually convicted of these offenses. He was one of the first Republicrats I knew. Many have crawled out of the woodwork since then.

I have also used the terms doginality, catanality, and animality for years. When I refer to what others call their pet’s personalities, I use these terms. We treat our pets like people, but they are not human. Thank God. They are better than us. Many of these traits cross the lines. Others are similar to the way we humans act.

Cats are distant, aloof, and opinionated. We all know that dogs have owners and cats have staff. Some of these canines and felines are loving, hateful, and contrary. We have had many animals in our family. They all have certain characteristics that we find challenging and endearing. That makes life fun.

In the sixth grade Mr. McNeil asked us to memorize this poem.

We know some monkeys or apes can be mean but they would never make a movie called “Planet of the Humans.”

I am sure I have used other words and phrases in my writing that I have created or borrowed. You may wonder what I mean when you catch me in this. If so, just make a comment and I will try to explain myself.

Trapped?

December 23, 2023

Am I? Trapped, that is. I know some people who are stuck in jobs they do not enjoy. I was there on more than one occasion. My last two jobs were not the ones I really wanted. There were different reasons that I did not want to be there.

Personality conflicts and bad management practices were two reasons. Another job that I worked in for twenty-five years had similar problems. I stayed there hoping that I could make changes to improve these difficulties. After I realized I could not God led me to a job I loved. A layoff I had no control over, took me from there.

Some are in bad relationships. We may be the ones who need to change our attitudes or actions. Others are not always completely at fault when there is trouble communicating and we can grow apart if we do not change positively. My wife and I often discuss ways that we have changed in the last forty-seven years. Compromise is the reason we have stayed together. And, of course, love.

I had a bout with addiction a few years ago. I did not know it at the time. I found myself in the emergency room with flu-like symptoms. The doctor sent me home to recover. A friend suggested that I might be going through withdrawal from the opioids I had been taking for pain following bypass surgery.

The fourteen symptoms that I was told were a virus were listed as withdrawal symptoms on an opioid website. I had become addicted in a short time. Now, healthcare professionals are learning that what manufacturers told them was incorrect. Smaller dosages did trap some people in less time than was believed at then.

I understand now how fortunate I was. I recognized what caused the pain, nausea, and cold I was experiencing. I did not take another dose as I had been doing every two to three days when my pain became worse. Alternate over-the-counter painkillers got me through a rough couple of days.

Smoking or alcohol usage may be your problem. I’ve never used these substances. I cannot tell you how to overcome their control over you. These are also addictions, and you may need professional help to get out of these traps. The first step is to admit that they are a problem for you. Then find a trusted friend who will assist in your recovery.

The worst trap that I have seen is in my own mind. You may be like me and subject to believe that your opinion is the only correct way to view situations. I have attempted to draw my opinions from the Bible for over fifty years. God has taught me that because you do not agree with me, you might not be wrong.

I have seen myself use scripture to prove what I was taught was the only right interpretation. Let me give you an example. Do you believe in The Rapture? Many of us Christians do. Our proof that we will be taken to meet Jesus in the air at the End of Time is a collection of unrelated scriptures.

Like the prophecies that prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the expected Messiah of the Jews, we believe God will save us from a world of evil. Some of us think this will happen before we must choose life or death. In some countries, this is already their situation. Being a follower of Jesus is a crime that carries the death penalty. I am not one hundred percent sure that my way of thinking is correct.

I could tell you of other doubts that I have had. I even considered the possibility that Jesus was not Christ or that God did not exist as my parents and grandparents taught me. I dealt with that internal conflict by asking Jehovah to prove He is the I Am. He did this for me and straightened out my thinking about who Jesus really was.

I have decided to accept Him as my Lord and Savior. Each year that passes on the calendar gives me more confirmation that this was the correct decision. I am constantly considering all alternatives and do not see any that my faith does not prove to be false. I may be putting this faith in the wrong being. If I am wrong, I will not spend eternity in a place of torment. That is one main difference between my beliefs and other religions.

Lastly, let’s discuss other ways our own minds trap us. Many of these are referred to as mental illness. Some of you may diagnose me as having a delusion because of my faith. I am talking about depression, schizophrenia, and all the other ways that our physical chemistry or internal thoughts can hold us prisoners.

Suicidal thoughts have haunted me for years. Sometimes these are caused by medications that react badly to our systems. Other times outside influences can make us feel hopeless and helpless. Get professional help for these problems. Just as I take insulin and heart medications for my health problems, we may need assistance in handling anger, frustration, depression, and all those emotions that plague our everyday lives.

If you feel trapped in any of these areas, ask for help. Do not accept this as the way you must live. Look for someone who has dealt with what you are enduring. If they have been able to overcome problems like yours, they may be able to direct you to someone who can assist you.

Remind me

November 14, 2023

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood recorded this song in 2011. They have reprised this song on many occasions. It has received numerous awards. Why? This isn’t just Paisley’s song that he co-wrote with someone else. It is possibly your song. I know it is mine and my wife’s.

It has wide radio and internet play. The critics have a difficult time with it because they don’t think Underwood and Paisley have voices that work together. I am not talking about artistic production. I want to speak to you about the story the song tells and the number of couples it touches.

want you to understand why I have posted so many videos of these two for this column. They are not a couple. The passion that they have when onstage or behind microphones in the studio demonstrates their talents as entertainers. We believe they are a married couple that has lost the lust that we all had in our marriages when we started.

I am going to remind you. When you first started dating your spouse you were nervous and uncertain of whether this was the real thing or not. A few weeks or minutes later that feeling that some call love hit you. Like the couple Brad wrote about, you may have been told to get a room.

It may have been at school where your relationship began. If so, you probably know the phrase public display of affection. PDA is something that we still remind young people to avoid at church and school. Most of us want that feeling of uncontrollable passion again.

Your making out may have interfered with travel plans as it does in this story. In the early days of your marriage, getting to work on time might have been a problem. I remember those days. I also remember the afternoon I picked Cindy up at the bus station in Joplin, MO.

After two weeks of marriage, I had to go help open a new store. I drove our car and spent the week in a motel alone. On Friday she joined me. I needed to get back to work after taking her luggage to our room. There was also something else that we needed to do. It was one of the reasons we married.

In my mind, I changed the lyrics to “so on fire and so in lust, way back then we couldn’t get enough.” Was there a look in her or his eyes that you had not seen for a while? Remind them. Do not assume that they know that you still love them. Remind them.

What made you love this person that you married because of that love? Did you stop them just for a kiss? Was it flowers or love notes? Maybe it was the occasional surprise date that you have no time for now with work and kids. Don’t just fall into bed tonight. Intentionally take them in your arms and remind them of how much you love them.

In every marriage, there is one person who wants sex more often than the other. It is not always the male. I know some couples where the wife wants more passion in the marriage. I often speak of love languages. If you do not know his or her language, how can they know that you love them? After all, love is a choice, and you may have changed your mind.

I teach that sex and love are not the same concept. These lyrics celebrate the passion of the marriage bed. We are also reminded that after one, five, ten, or fifty years the lust that made us want to love each other is gone. Remind me.

Commercials # One

November 8, 2023

I watch commercials. I am a fan. Not all advertising meets my criteria. I am critical of those copy-writers that make fun of us. The ads running with the councilor that is helping young homeowners not become their parents is especially offensive.

Two of our three daughters and their husbands own their homes. The finance company is also a shareholder. They are not becoming us. They all have some similarities to us and our in-laws. They are their own individuals. However, I shave my father in the mirror most days. On other days I do not shave.

My children’s parents do not post pictures of meals and parties. Some of them and their children do. My life is not boring. If it was, you would not be reading my columns and books. I rest my case and my backside.

I am friendly, even on elevators. I also have bad jokes. At least my kids and grandkids say they are bad. I do not understand why they use my material if it is not worth laughing at. Some of them have been handed down for generations.

Then there is the TV commercial about the in-house composter. I recycle a lot of things. I follow the adage “reduce, reuse, recycle.” However, I believe that composting is best done on the ground. I have buried the leaves and food waste for many years. My garden beds are raised. That makes it easy to recycle food and yard waste. I no longer dig 3x3x6 foot trenches in my garden. It was an effective visual for the young men who wanted to date my daughters.

All the insurance commercials drive me up the wall. While I am sitting on the ceiling I compare Flo, Evie, the Allstate guy, the cartoon general, the toucan, and all the other spokespeople. You can insure your car, life, health even for your pets, and all the expensive toys you own.

There is even insurance that is represented as warranties. Everything stops working at some point. Pay a monthly fee and someone else will pay some of the repair expenses. Be sure to read the fine print. What they tell you in the commercial is not what you thought you heard. Listen for “starting at,” “beginning with,” “from,” and all those other words that require thousands of words to cover their rears.

The ads for the portable fire pits that show their product in many settings with different folks around them are some of the best I have seen. They are simple and understated. The main purpose of advertising is to make you remember their name. I remember some of the company’s names I have shared here. There are those that I couldn’t give you even if I wanted to.

What are your favorite commercials and why? You may not see many except for the ones that pop up on your phone or streaming service. Mostly those are short and sweet which is what makes the best advertising. If there is a small print on the screen or *, &, #, or other non-verbal communication do not agree to anything before you read everything. Happy hunting.

HIGHWAY & HEDGES MINISTRY

November 7, 2023

In forty years of ministry, it has often been asked, “You’re a minister? Which church do you pastor?” The explanation is often difficult. Not all ministers are pastors of churches. When the calling came, it was to full-time gospel ministry. That was a term that had a lot of possibilities.

At the time, the pastorate was the assumption. Music ministry is not this Christian’s gift. My passion was for the written word. God could not use that. Or could he? Lesson plans have been conceived, drawn up, and used. They were not published, yet. Plays, skits, monologues, etc. have been created and performed. Once again they have not been published as yet. Articles have been written and published, but just in the past fifteen years.

Full-time does not necessarily mean that you make your living by it. As the road has taken a salesman to different locations, ministry has been accomplished. As others came to a purchasing agent or manager, the same has happened. Stories about these encounters are numerous. Some are shared in “Doulos”, others have yet to be written down. You may see these in later pieces.

Ministry by definition is difficult to pin down. A cup of cold water is a ministry. A kind word or listening ear may be another. A bowl of stew or other nourishment may be another way to serve some. A listening ear and shoulder to cry on is another way to help.

Another thing I have learned is that every believer is a minister. Accepting this call may seem difficult for many people. I remember the days when I could not speak to people without having my knees knock together. When I accepted the call to serve, I struggled with being the kind of person Jesus could use.

Because I expected to be bivocational, after college I went into secular business. Christians in the workplace can be good employees. They can also be available for prayer and listening to difficulties. Training is not needed for most of us to be friends.

Jesus told a parable about those invited to a wedding feast. When the servants returned to the groom’s father and said that none of the invited guests would come to the dinner, they were instructed to go into the highways and hedges and bring in anyone who would come. That may be your ministry. People from work or school need comfort or help. Those standing in line at Wal-Mart may need a smile or a “good” joke. Ministry is not hard, but it can be challenging. What is your challenge?

Cat’s Cradle memories.

November 1, 2023

Wayne Glenn played The Cat’s in the Cradle this morning and reminded me that this song came out in 1974. Yes, I was listening to the radio that year. One recollection is being in my darkroom with music playing and stopping to pay attention to the words of this song.

Cat’s Cradle was one of the childhood games that could be played with just a piece of string. Everyone knew someone who had been “born with a silver spoon in their mouth.” These might not be really rich people, their parents just had to have a newer car or bigger house than you. In those days, we Baby Boomers were very familiar with nursery rhymes like “Little Boy Blue” and we often stood staring at the moon till we could make out the face of the “Man in the Moon.”

The story of this folk song is one of what is called a dysfunctional family today. In ’74 these ideas would not have come into my mind. The concept of not seeing your Father every night and not having both Mom and dad participating in the child-raising was a foreign idea to me. Kids who were stuck in these circumstances were few and far between in my circle.

The one I bring to mind now is Rob. His Dad was a trucker like mine. His father drove long haul which my father would not accept. On the night Dad passed away, my Mother and I sat and talked in their home about him. This was the first time I learned that he refused to accept offers to drive for companies that would require him to be on the road for days or weeks at a time.

One of my Dad’s favorite songs.

Mom thought he should accept one of these positions because it would mean much more money for our family. My Father wanted to be able to care for his children and wife personally every day. Shortly after this, I was allowed to travel in a sales territory that required two nights away from home once a month. I did not realize the effect this would have on my children.

On my first trip, my wife told me this story when I called in the second night. Our oldest daughter’s teacher asked if there was a problem at home. Heather had sat on the playground that day at recess and did not play with her friends. When asked if she did not feel good or if there was another problem, her response was negative. Cindy advised the teacher that I was gone for two days and it was the first time I had been away from home like this. The thought of how much my girls missed me made me cry.

I felt this was just part of the kids growing up. To provide for them, I would do what I had to. Over the years, jobs that I tried to get that would have taken me away from home even more were never obtained. My Lord Jesus took care of my daughters, even when I did not follow the example of my dad.

These are the thoughts going through my mind today. I never had to worry when Dad was coming home. No, our house was not as big as others. Our car was not brand new until we kids started leaving home and there was more money available. Mom and Dad both worked, but we knew we were important to them. Our only disputes were over who was treated better than the other three. This happens with four kids naturally.

We get together with our children and grandchildren as often as we can. We never have to worry about them retaliating because of something we failed to do for them. If you can join us, good for you. If not, an apology may be in order. Forgiveness is still possible.

Walk With a Servant