Rich: 'We' remember Daddy on Father's Day

Often, I find myself thinking of the wisdom of my daddy. His observations and experiences continue to guide me daily 11 years after his departure from what he sometimes called, "this ol' vale of tears and sorrow."

I was probably 12 or so years old when I overheard him and Mama talking while sitting around the kitchen table, sipping on cups of coffee. It was a Saturday afternoon and Daddy had just come in from a hard day on the farm. He was talking about a newly purchased tractor and he kept using the pronoun "we" as in "We brought the tractor," or "we thought it was a good buy."

Mama was listening quietly but finally asked, "Who's 'we'? Did you buy the tractor with someone?"

"No ma'am. But I say 'we' because it sounds a whole lot better than 'I'. Nothin' sounds worse than someone goin' around saying, 'I, I, I.'"

Probably at that moment, "we" became the more prominent pronoun in my vocabulary because Daddy was right. If there is blame to be taken, it is "I." If there is praise to be received, it is "we," to the point that it makes absolutely no sense at times such as when someone compliments a book that bears my name.

"Thank you. We've been blessed with that book. It's done well for us." It shows how influenced a child is by the words and actions of her parents.

There is a moment with Daddy, though, that sticks like glue to my soul and always, without fail, brings tears to my eyes when I recall it.

Daddy had a secret praying place. Its location, he said often, was just between him and the good Lord. Whenever the trials and tribulations of this life got too much for him, he'd take himself out to that praying place and talk it all over with the Lord. No one knew where it was and it never occurred t