The Mayor: Another long blog

My Dad’s birthday was last week and for fear of giving the appearance of playing favorites I want to dedicate this blog to the man who I’ve known as Lance, Uncle Hootie, China Pete and most recently The Mayor. As a child, Dad always spent time with me. Once he called me from my room where I was in bed for the night to change the channel because the remote was broken. There was also the time he made me touch my tongue to my nose in front of a bunch of dinner guests, which was an agonizing experience for such a shy girl. I remember Dad crank calling me when I went to sleepovers and how on long car rides he would say “body parts” over and over because I would, as he put it, “laugh at anything,” and I always did.

Dad taught my Sunday School class for as long as I can rememberand subsequently was the one who taught me most everything I know about the bible. Even now, whenever I come up with some new idea, I always run it by my father. While we don't always (or usually) agree the dialogue helps me sort out my thoughts. One of my most special memories is when I started going on missions trips my father would always sneak a hand written letter into my luggage for me to find when I made it wherever it was that I was going. The letters would say that he and Mom were proud of me and that they would pray for me when I was gone. He would always tell me he could see the hand of God on my life and how he couldn’t wait to see how God would use me. I always looked forward to getting those letters, even though they made me cry every single time.


When I was in high school, My Dad was laid off from work. He worked any job he could to make ends meet for my family even though some of the jobs had horrible hours or weren’t the most dignified of positions. He made many sacrifices to provide for me and my brothers to have the best of everything and he still does that today. I don’t know if I ever told him how much I appreciated what he did for us, but it set a profound example for me and my brothers. A few years ago Dad quit his career to help teach the high school students at my Mother’s school. I like to watch my Dad in his class because he is more than a teacher but also a mentor to many young boys and girls who don’t have a positive role model in their lives.

My Dad continues to be supportive of me and my goals. This summer, he even traveled with me to Cambodia. I was so honored that he cared enough about what I do to give up 3 weeks to travel with me and see it for himself. China Pete bonded with the kids and teenagers he met and let me lead even when he didn’t always agree with my decisions. I consider myself lucky to have such wonderful parents and I know that without their influence I wouldn’t be the person I am today.