Winning Words 6/18/10
“All that mankind has ever learned is nothing more than a grain of sand on a beach that reaches to infinity.” (Dad) This is from another book by H Jackson Brown, A Father’s Book of Wisdom. With Fathers’ Day being celebrated on Sunday, it’s good to think back and remember some of the lessons our dads taught us. Being truthful is one that I remember. He also taught me how to make a kite using newspapers, grocery string and torn-up rags for a tail. BTW, I like the imagery of today’s WWs. ;-) Jack

FROM LIZ IN ILLINOIS: Happy Father's Day! I remember using torn-up rags for kite tails, too. Seemed Dad always got a bigger kick out of kite flying than I. It thought it was fun that he had so much fun!

FROM NL IN INDIANA/FLORIDA: After visiting Egypt with my boys at least 25 years ago, that tells you what time is. A grain of sand is time, and yet man does not learn much and I've been using that phrase ever since. Life is just a venture, one grain of sand at a time. FROM JACK: The span of one's life is contained in a blackened hour glass, with the unseen grains of sand falling one at a time.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: Every Sunday, my Dad always read the funny papers to us. I remember thinking "Wow!!! How did he get exactly the right lesson us kids needed to hear in there?!!!" My Dad taught me to enjoy reading. He also brought us a bag of candy each pay day. FROM JACK: Thank God for the gift of memory.

FROM JK IN MICHIGAN: Sometimes I feel rather limited by current role in my childrens lives. I just try and be consistent to myself and the Lord. Honestly, I have no clue what I am doing as a dad most of the time as I can be swayed by emotion and opinion. I just hope to have good integrity in front of my daughters.... FROM JACK: To have integrity as a dad is a good goal.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Jack, I have written songs for everyone in my immediate family and finally, Wednesday wrote My Dad Was a Carpenter. It has just been too emotional for me to come up with something, compounded by the extra responsibility for my words now that I have a son and daughter. My Dad taught me how to build and how to love. My Dad died 42 years ago when I was 11, you can hear the song at:
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=79471 Dale Crockett sings it for me. I put a picture from 1945, from the Spring Valley Sun (Wisconsin) of my Dad returning from WWII on the SongRamp page. He was 46 when I was born.

MY DAD WAS A CARPENTER © 2010 Jon Hanson

I used to work with Dad; sometimes he’d take me out of school
By the time I was eleven, I could use most every tool
He taught me how to frame a wall and how to hang a door
I saw how he loved my Mom and five kids he adored

MY DAD WAS A CARPENTER AND TAUGHT ME HOW TO BUILD
I LEARNED BY WATCHING HIM—SOMETIMES I SEE HIM STILL
FATHERS TEACH SONS MORE THAN WORK AND HOW TO BE A MAN
NOW THAT I’M A FATHER—I THINK I UNDERSTAND

I met my friend Jim for lunch, soon after his father died
He showed me a box his Dad had left, as we sat and cried
He was crying because he had a box of memories with him
I was crying because I had no box like my friend Jim

It's hard to believe God called Dad home; more than forty years ago
When I look back on all I've built, I know I wasn't working alone...

FROM JACK: Your mind is the box where your dad stored things for you. FROM LIZ IN ILLINOIS TO JON: What a lovely tribute to your dad, and to all dads. I can tell you're a good dad, too. Happy Father's Day!

FROM PRFM IN WISCONSIN: This was my father's directive to me . . . many many times, from when I was about five years old FROM JACK: It's a good memory to have, especially as Father's Day is near. MORE FROM FM: Indeed - he frequently mentioned the words when we were someplace where someone had left some paper etc. along the street. He has been dead for almost 48 years,
but I have good memories.

FROM SG IN TAMPA: Mostly my father taught me how to live and love faith and how to be friendly and enjoy everyone. Until the very end he trusted and spoke to everyone and prayed a lot. FROM JACK: A chip off the old block, as the saying goes.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: These Winning Words are so true! God so wonderously made us with so much abililty. My dad taught us more than I can possibly put down in this blog sight, but the most important thing he taught us was to treat everyone, regardless of age, race, color, rich or poor, with respect and love. Many was the time when us 5 kids sat at the table with presidents of companies, salesmen (he was in coffee sales) or hitchhikers...he brought home many different people and he treated them all like family. FROM JACK: I'm sure that your dad would be humbled by your words, but proud of how people have been influenced by him.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: I remember making the old newspaper kites. Who ever had enough money to afford one from a store? FROM JACK: ....and we used flour and water "paste" to glue it together.