Thank You Dad

USGN article
by Terry Franklin
June 1999

The other day I was in a men's clothing shop hunting for some new clothes. Never being much of a slave to fashion, I asked the salesperson to direct me to what the latest styles were. He immediately showed me the "Cadillac": a $1500.00 suit. Problem was, evidently the latest fashions are looking like the Salvation Army clothing rack-- all wrinkled, ill fitting, sort of like a 1970's reject.

I said to the salesman, "Are people really wearing this stuff?" He almost choked on his latte', and I thought I heard the smooth jazz Muzak dim for just a moment. I was asking something akin to questioning the canon of scripture. He allowed me to peruse the latest men's fashion magazines. Yep, he was right — all the "beautiful people" have that Greyhound Bus Station look. Don't know why, but I thought of my dad.

One of the things dad instilled in me was the ability to go against the grain. Any thoughts of being a "Ford man" or "Chevy man" totally eluded my dad. He drove odd ball cars like French Citroens, Renaults, and English Fords.

When I was little he bought me a British-made folding bicycle, one of the first of its kind, with little small white tires. I took a lot of kidding for that bike— and later the tricycle that looked like something you'd ride around in a retirement village!

Musically, Dad was eclectic liking everything from The Beatles to Brazilian jazz. And while he was into the Four Freshman, I was into the Inspirations and the Thrasher Brothers. I was the only person I knew in Miami Florida who was into the musical genre of Southern Gospel Music. I took a lot of kidding for that, too.

The point is, God has made us all different... with different tastes and desires. It's a part of the wonder of His creation that He puts us all together in this wonderful thing we call life. And I thank God during this month of Father's Day for a dad who taught me it was okay to be different. I'm still looking for a suit.

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©1999 Terry & Barbi Franklin.