I really miss my dad. We were best of friends. The level of trust that flowed through and within our relationship was without compromise. Over the years, as I have navigated life without his counsel, my appreciation of him has lingered in the deepest areas of my heart. He was a great dad. To my knowledge, he had no enemies and as a result I have heard many stories told by those who knew of his kindness and generosity.

Thinking about him last week reminded me of a story told to me about my dad that is certainly one of my favorites. The storyteller told me that once many years ago their family was on the verge of losing their home to foreclosure by the local bank. Somehow the word reached my dad. The next day he visited the bank and paid the necessary funds to save their home. The best part of the story was that my dad never told me about his actions. I thought we shared everything but apparently he felt no need for me to know this.

Seems my dad may have read Matthew 6:1-4 where we are warned about publicly announcing charity. My dad knew that true service to God is meant to be done in humility and not for public recognition. "Do good in secret" Matthew instructs never letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing. Ensure your generosity is held private.

Economically speaking, my dad was a simple, blue collar worker with a modest income. I know his decision to help another must have presented some financial hardship for him. I would assume he dipped into his savings or a rainy day fund. I am sure he didn’t have the funds easily available but he chose to do the right thing. His heart was certainly bigger than his pocketbook. It’s a great story for me. I hope he forgives me for telling it. I know he would not have told it himself ❤️.