He would have been 100 years old today

My brother sent me a text which reminded me that my dad would have been 100 years old today if he was still alive. I hadn’t done the math.

It seems hard to believe. But one of the strange realities of the passing of time—for me, at least—is that it is so reliable and constant and, yet, for some odd reason continues to be almost sneaky in the way it surprises me.

My dad was a very regular guy in many ways but he was and will always be a hero to me. He overcame obstacles and disadvantages that would have defeated many others…and that is, honestly, not an exaggeration.

He was incredibly hard working and responsible. He was strong physically and emotionally. He provided for others from the time he was about 14 years old until the very end of his life. He was not highly educated (one of the many disadvantages) and yet he was smart and wise. When it came to mechanical aptitude I think he may have been close to genius. (I could tell stories about this incredible aptitude but the really good ones are embarrassing to me.)

He loved to laugh and tell stories and then laugh some more. One of the great joys of my life was making him laugh, which occasionally happened when I was trying to be serious.

Although I referred to him as a regular guy, he lived an extraordinarily full and interesting life dodging many bullets, literally and figuratively, along the way.

One of the ways God can bless a person has to do with the people He arranges to be a part of our lives. One of God’s greatest blessings to me was my father.

I’m glad I will be able to see him again. In fact, in the sneaky way that time works, it will be fairly soon.

 

LUTHER J. MARLER, Nov. 2, 1920 – March 7, 2010