Happy Father's Day

Luke6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

My earthly Dad, I'm proud to say, is Edwin B Winskie. Most folks call him Butch. At present, he is 76 years old. That's an amazing thing, considering that he raised me and my sister. We put him through quite a lot. 

And Dad had an abundance of mercy. The fact that I'm still alive and breathing after all I did as a child is a strong testimony to that fact. 

My Dad worked hard for his family. When I was a young boy, he worked 2 jobs to try and sustain us. Then, he was hired by Delta Airlines during the height of the airline boom. We had to move, but it was a blessing. Many of the boys I was hanging out with were already into smoking. Later, many of them would get into drugs. Moving was good for me because I had to change crowds.

I never drank or did drugs. And that's because of my Dad. 

You see, my Dad- back then- was an alcoholic. The first prayer I prayed after I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost was for God to free my Dad from Alcohol. 

I was in the Army at that time. I went to the Gulf war as a newborn baby in Christ. I was still praying for Dad's deliverance.  

Don't take me wrong. My Dad was not a drunk. He didn't stagger around the house. He didn't beat us. He didn't meander from deadbeat job to deadbeat job trying to hold things together while he drank himself into oblivion. 

My Dad was a functional alcoholic. He could drink enough vodka to floor your average person and just keep right on going. But, when he did without it- usually for his family to have what we needed- he'd go through DT's. He'd shake and sweat, etc. 

One day, Dad was slightly tipsy, when he burst into my room and grabbed me. He hugged me close and begged me to forgive him. Then he said, "Son, don't ever drink. It's the only thing that's ever beat me."

This had a huge effect on me.  My Dad is one of the strongest willed people I have ever known. He is mentally tough as nails. So, when he said Alcohol was the only thing to ever beat him, I knew I'd never touch the stuff. 

I'm not nearly as tough as Dad. I had friends in high school and college that drank and partied a bit. I never got into that crowd. Every time I was tempted, I remembered what my Dad had said and it gave me the strength to say, "NO!" 

Then I married and joined the Army. There was lots of partying going on there. But, not by me. I remembered what my Dad had said. I knew if he couldn't handle it, It would destroy me!

I broke down and cried when I got his letter in 1991, I believe. Dad had realized he had a drinking problem and Delta Airlines- to their credit- was paying for him to go through rehab to be free from that addiction that had tormented him for years. I fell to my knees and cried thank you to my heavenly Father, for freeing my earthly father from one of Satan's traps. 

So, Dad, I just want to say thank you for always providing for us. Thank you for doing the best you knew how to raise us. Thank you for not killing me. And thank you for teaching me the value of hard work and personal sacrifice in taking care of a family.  

And thanks to my heavenly Father for giving me the Dad that you did. You knew what you were doing. And thanks for becoming a son and paying the ultimate sacrifice to pay the price for my sins.  

So happy Father's day, Jesus. And happy Father's day, Edwin B. Winskie

I'll love you both for eternity!     (That's Dad on the left.)