Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. — Exodus 20:12

 
Daddy: 
I stand here looking down at this piece of granite with your name etched on it – Harrison Benjamin Johnson.  You gave me 2/3 of your name – carrying on the tradition of the name Benjamin in our family.  I am honored that you chose to send forth that name with me.  I’ve been thinking alot about you Daddy – how you raised us kids, how you worked hard at the factory, how you disciplined us, how you provided.  I cannot imagine having 9 kids, especially on your income, but you did and we never went without the things we needed.  I remember how Thursdays were always paydays, which meant grocery shopping day, which meant more “stuff” in our house on that particular day.  We were never hungry, but having potato chips and cookies on Thursdays was always a treat so we tore into them like a pack of dogs.  They were gone by Friday.

I remember Sunday mornings when Mother would get up early and make a big pan of gravy and some of her delicious biscuits – the house would be full of us all and we would all dig in until our bellies were about to explode.  Then we would get ourselves ready and go to the church and hear an awesome sermon from Rev Allen.  Often I would sit beside Mother on the pew and would lay my head on her shoulder and fall asleep.  I know you never liked that but you did allow me to have a good nap here and there.
I remember those huge console TVs that we had over the years that was attached to an antenna that we had to turn by hand.  Don’t know how you afforded that either, but somehow you did manage.  Daddy, I remember how very hard you worked and how you would come home at the end of the day all dirty, greasy and tired.  But you would come home and begin to work on that list of chores – always involved around trying to fix up the leaky, drafty house we lived in.  I told somebody the other day how I learned HONESTY from you, Daddy.  I don’t know that you ever said that word to me, but you lived it and set a fine example.  I want you to know that I speak of you kindly, even if you did whip me awfully hard with that belt of yours way too often.  I deserved them all.

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” -Anne Geddes
Daddy, there are some words that I am pretty sure that I never spoke to you.  I want to speak them to you now.  You know, growing up we never hugged as a family, never showed much affection.  But it was felt by us all.  We saw the sacrifices you made.  So even if you never said those words to me either, I knew how you felt about me.  I love you Daddy – there I said it.  I love you.  It’s OK for a son to say that to his daddy, right?  You provided, you instructed, you disciplined…..you loved me Daddy.
OK, so you never encouraged me to play Little League Baseball, so you never pushed me to play football.  You saw us play those games with the neighborhood kids and you were content with that….and I was too.  You didn’t take me to Boy Scouts. We went camping as a family each summer – I certainly remember those times in that big canvas tent.  And I remember the smell of bacon cooking in that big iron skillet by the campsite and how Mother loved that.  I guess that was Boy Scouts for me, huh Daddy?  I don’t have any merit badges to show off, but I have something better – those memories that will dwell in my mind and in my heart as long as I am breathing.  Oh, how I wish I was camping in the mountains by that stream with you now, Daddy. 
 
Are there things that I wish could have been different between us Daddy?  Yes, sure.  Could you have done a better job raising me?  I imagine that’s possible.  I forgive you, Daddy.  Will you forgive me for being such an ungrateful brat?  And will you forgive me for that time that the police brought me home when I was just a little boy?  I’ve never seen you so MAD and my backkside hurts just from the memory.    Daddy, occasionally some of my friends will see something good in me – only occasionally… but it does happen from time to time.  They only see that because Almighty God, in His infinite love placed me in your care.  Anything good that others ever see in me – it’s there because of Him and because of you.

So here I stand, looking at that piece of granite with your name etched on it and the years 1915 – 1997.  I am standing here and I am remembering, I am reliving.  Daddy, in my mind right now I am giving you a big hug, then shaking your hand like gentlemen do and I am saying…”I love you, Daddy“.  My heart is full of many things now, notably love and gratitude.  I am sorry I never adequately expressed those things to you before 1997.  But I am now and I know you can hear these words being spoken from my soul to yours.  You did good by me, Daddy.  I will do my best to carry on the legacy that you entrusted to me.

Love,
Your youngest son.

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. — Proverbs 1:8