I was so blessed to have a wonderful father. My dad passed away last January at the age of 90; but he left a wonderful legacy behind. He and my mom were married for 71 years. Mom is still living and she continues to carry on the family legacy of love and caring for others. When my father first saw my mom in their freshman high school class, my father said to a friend of his, "See that girl over there--that's the girl I am going to marry." Wow! He was serious! And they both took marriage seriously when they united in matrimony three years later. Mom and Dad raised 7 children. I am blessed that all of my siblings are still alive and doing quite well. I give God the praise for my family. My father lettered in three sports in high school; i.e. football, basketball, and baseball. He played football back in the day when they did not have face masks! Dad played basketball back in the day when they shot 2-handed "set shots" rather than jump shots. My father excelled in baseball, where he was captain of the team during his senior year. At the end of his senior year (Class of 1940), he signed to play professional baseball with the Philadelphia Stars in the Negro Professional League. Dad was blessed to play against great ball players like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. Dad hit a triple off of Satchel Paige when he first batted against Satch. Satchel ran off the mound to third base and he would not allow my father to continue to home plate for a home run. (You can read about this event in the book I wrote about my dad. The book is entitled MY DAD THE ARTIST).
There was never a day that my father was not at home. He was there for us. Every Monday through Friday he worked faithfully at the Lukens Steel Company, in Coatesville, PA. And every day we sat down at the dinner table (all 9 of us) at 4:30 P.M. when my dad came home from work. He was a great man and he loved my mom very much. She surely loved him too, and she still does. Dad took time out for each of my brothers and sisters and me. On Sundays after church he would pack the 9 of us into his beat-up car or station wagon and take us for a ride somewhere. People would laugh at all of us packed into the car; but we enjoyed the family fellowship. Sometimes Dad would take us all fishing at a nearby lake. We did not have a lot of money; but we had a lot of love. After my dad retired from the steel mill, he enrolled in art school. Thirty years later, just before he passed away, my dad, the great grandson of a slave, had painted over 400 oil paintings depicting African-American history. He was recognized by many people and organizations and he was known as "The Underground Railroad Artist". My father's name is Lee Carter and his artwork is on display at THE ROAD TO FREEDOM MUSEUM in Coatesville, PA.
As we celebrate Fathers' Day, I pray that your father is doing well, if he is still living. I also pray that you will remember the fond things about your father, if he is no longer here. In addition, I pray that God will bless all of the fathers and help each of us to be the best fathers (and grandfathers) that we can be. Fathers are so very important to the family structure and so equally important to the nurturing and upbringing of children. Just in case you are looking for something very special for your father or grandfather, I would like to recommend a great online shopping store. You can get everything you need in just one place. Click here for more details. Happy Father's Day to all.
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