I thought that he walked on water

Country music singer Randy Travis sang a song back in 1990 called "He Walked on Water."  It is a very sentimental song about a young boy who looked up to his great-grandfather.  I'd like to talk about this song a little bit, so I've posted the video below that you can watch if you click the arrow.  The lyrics follow below the video so you can read the lyrics if you're not familiar with the ballad, but come back once you're finished watching as I talk about men who I thought walked on water.

                                                "He Walked On Water"

He wore starched white shirts buttoned at the neck,
and he'd sit in the shade and watch the chickens peck.
And his teeth were gone, but what the heck,
I thought that he walked on water.

He said he was a cowboy when he was young.
He could handle a rope and he was good with a gun.
And my mama's daddy was his oldest son,--
and I thought that he walked on water.

[CHORUS]
If the story's told, only heaven knows.
But his hat seemed to me like an old halo.
And although his wings, they were never seen.
I thought that he walked on water.

Then he tied a cord to the end of a mop,
and said, "Son, here's a pony, keep her at a trot."
And I'd ride in circles while he laughed alot.
Then I'd flop down beside him.

And he was ninety years old in sixty-three
and I loved him and he loved me.
And lord, I cried the day he died,

'cause I thought that he walked on water.

[CHORUS]

I really like that song.  The song, to me, is a song about heroes - men you look up to. Now, I'm not talking about fictional super-heroes or the Hollywood-cast figures that aren't authentic.  If you notice, the songwriter's great-grandpa wasn't much to look at and didn't really do anything exceptional by the world's standards, but what he did do was spend time with his great-grandson - and his great-grandson idolized him for it. Have you thought about men who have played a large role in your life and really meant something to you?  Maybe something that they did or said, in some form or fashion, that shaped your life and made you into the person you are today?

My Dad and both of my grandpa's are those people to me.  My Dad is a retired rice farmer.  He taught me the value of hard work and the value of loving one woman and how to be a Dad.  Farming is tough business, especially rice farming as you always have wells running and water to check.  Farming is not a Monday - Friday 9 to 5 job, but my Dad found a way to be there for me by being an involved dad, taking us on vacations, disciplining us, and teaching us how to be men.  I helped him on the farm as a young boy and he taught me a strong work ethic and the ability to appreciate and relish a hard day's work, how to be a one-woman man, and how to be a servant-leader by being involved in a local church. Later I was blessed to be able to work alongside him farming for a few years in some of the best days of my life, back when work was 'fun'. In short, he modeled the example of the dad that I've tried to become, the worker and Christian man that I've tried to emulate.

Fishing for Memories

My Grandpa on my Dad's side was named McKinley and folks called him Mike.  He was a farmer as well and I attribute my love of growing things to him as he took time to help me work up the soil and make a garden for the first time when I was probably 11 or 12 years old.  I've been hooked ever since.  He also took time to take us fishing and we caught many stringers of Bluegill Bream from the cool, clear water of Toledo Bend Reservoir while drinking assorted flavors of Shasta soft drinks from a cooler in the boat and eating grandma's homemade oatmeal cookies.  If I close my eyes and concentrate I can still feel the 'sliminess' of the fish in my hands and the 'fishy' smell that I experienced on those outings.  He loved to have fish fries and I inherited the platter that held those golden brown filets of deliciousness and french fries.

A platter that matters

My Grandpa on my Mom's side was affectionately called Poppy by the grandkids. Poppy ran a grocery store in our small town.  He offered charge accounts to townsfolk where people could charge their groceries. He trusted people.  There were no credit checks.  Your handshake and your word were your bond.  I remember how he would go every Sunday morning and pick up a disabled man named Charles and bring him to church in  his 1973 green Ford Bronco that was 3 speed and column-shifted and looked exactly like the one in the photo below.  He transported many loads of groceries and delivered them to needy folks around our little town.  People loved Poppy.  He taught me how to treat people and about having integrity.  I can remember him telling us grandkids many times, "You're the best kids in the whole world."  Of course we weren't, but he made us feel like we were and that stands out to me.

My Dad, my Grandpa and Poppy would be embarrassed being described as heroes and they would all unequivocally state that, "There's only One Who can walk on water," but the influence they've had on my life and the time they spent with me definitely make them larger than life to me.