Musing on Father's Day...

2012-06-17T14:30:53Z

As I suspect is the case with most geneabloggers, full identities of fathers in the family history are usually easier to come by than is the case for mothers.

Out of 20,000+ souls in my family tree, I still have 539 MNUs and it bugs the heck out of me.

Some of the fathers in my family history could rightly be considered heroes. A few of them had a tad too many less-than-sterling qualities for hero status, including my own g-g-grandfather.

Nonetheless, I see examples of fathers who are unsung heroes every day - in my family tree, and men who aren't related to me at all.

These men - the dads, I call them - don't fit the mold we in the United States have crafted for fathers in our history - stoic breadwinners who left the details of child-raising to the women.

I think of my grandfathers...Papa Joe (Williams), who nearly always had that mischievous grin on his face. He was my Papa who helped me use the magnifying glass to read new words in his prized unabridged Webster's dictionary, because one could just never know too many words...

And my Granddaddy Burris, who loved to tease his granddaughters as they grew about whether or not we had a boyfriend...

We lost both of them too soon, but certainly had them long enough to benefit from their wisdom and their love.

About a year and a half ago, I blogged about a daddy whose love for his children made me cry.

I am not related to him, but I knew his daughter a long time ago. If you're like me, you'll need to read The Lines on the Doorframe with tissues in hand.

There's another daddy I know who frequently makes me misty-eyed.

He's my son. On my everything-else blog, I've written a Father's Day tribute to Adam.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads...

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Honoring Dads...Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T16:24:37Z

I have several Dads in my life, even though only one of them is my own.

For all the Dads out there, I hope this day is one you enjoy.

My Dad is nearly 75. He was 22 years old, when I, his firstborn, arrived.

I like to think we've done some growing up together. I know the last 20 years is probably where we've made the most progress.

Although Dad's story is uniquely his own, the older I get, the more I marvel at watching the cycles play out in my family, largely due to Dad.

He was the only son in his family of four kids, and third in birth order. His parents instilled in him a solid work ethic, and he was also gifted with something that's become quite rare these days - common sense.

He knew you had to work hard to get what you wanted and needed in life.

This was one of the first things he worked hard for, and he probably considered it a need at the time.

My Dad made his living with his hands. He was a mason, who created things with his hands out of block and brick. He had his own business. He worked long hours when I was a child, but I remember the times we spent together when he wasn't working.

Quite a bit of it was very close to the place where he lives now - the land of the Burris homeplace in Pope County, Arkansas...the place where his great grandfather carved out both home and business, and where his father was born. It was there that he showed me how to dig earthworms beside his Aunt Emma's chicken coop to use for bait when we fished. He was the one who showed me the low stacked stone walls our ancestors built when clearing the fields for planting.

Dad was nearly 43 years old when he married the love of his life. Together, they have made homes in three places - starting on that land, then moving to Michigan for several years, and coming full circle back to the land.

My folks and I compare notes on our family history. Dad has very matter-of-factly accepted some of the revelations I've made about our family history in the last few years.

He and I both enjoy finding the truth of our history, and recording it so it never has to be secret again.

On this Father's Day, I want Dad to know how much I appreciate the gifts of the love of family and pride of hard work he has given me.

I hope I am honoring him by passing those down.

One of the other Dads in my life is my son.

In the last few years, my son has added two daughters to his family. He is the custodial parent of his oldest daughter.

That blows me away.

My boy has become a man.

I am in awe of how he does it...

And am struck by the similarities in the two Dads - both hard-working fathers, and acutely aware of the importance of family.

My son's own dad died in 2005. They were very close, and my son was devastated. He figured out that it truly does take a village to raise a child, and has embraced his village, which includes his own cousins and their children. All the kids will grow up with rich family connections - a new generation of Burrises with strong family ties.

I'm so proud of him I could bust.

For these very special Dads, I wish for you peace and contentment today.

You've both earned it.

Love y'all...

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Shakin' the Family Tree

Musing on Father's Day...

Honoring Dads...Happy Father's Day