Many of the students I’ve visited
with at Fort Stewart and Hunter share vivid memories left upon their soul by
their dads, good and tough. Military teens go through unforeseen images of
their dad that regular teenagers don’t usually have pressed upon them.
Deployments to war, long field training days and/or weeks in duration,
unexpected discharge from service, medically unable to perform their tasks due
to injuries from war, PTSD from combat, loss of a fellow battle buddy,
continual ‘push’ of responsibility in absence from home – these all frame their
image of the man who should closely reflect God Himself.
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| My dad, brother and I in the years where we worked hard for the extra 'spending money' by collecting cans together. |
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| Kickin' it old school with my dad (sporting those awesome sideburns) when I was a little baby. |
Although I didn’t have to go
through all of the strain upon my childhood living as a military teen, recently
God brought a similar experience to my life: the phone call of the passing of
our earthly father. It came at the hand of my brother’s call to me at 10:45 on
a Thursday morning. William “Bill” J. Parsons had passed away in his sleep on
January 23, 2014. Numb. Disbelief. Out of body feeling. He had just been in
Georgia visiting me with mom 9 days prior to his passing. Next the thoughts in
my mind focused on what kind of legacy would be left behind in his wake. What
would be said about my dad and the impact he made?
In the whirlwind turnaround time to
get back home to help the family, I had the chance to really see the impact my
father made. In his visitation, numerous people came up to my brother and I as
we received their heartfelt thoughts about our dad and what he meant to them. The
kind of people who came to show their love weren’t just the customers and
family members who knew my dad, but they were past teachers, close family
friends from our childhood and church family in Omaha, past Scoutmasters and
Boy Scout leaders, a high school principal now politician and best friends whom
we were close to in our time in Omaha. As I stood there, I was astounded on the
number of lives that were really affected by my dad. People continued to come
by the waves and it showed me the first thing that rang true: dad cared about people.
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| With my dad and mom on Jekyll Island where Amy and I will be married this coming July 4. |
God brought me so many values in my
daddy that I’m so proud of knowing and being passed upon into my own life. I
was blessed to learn so many things from dad: mowing the lawn as a little boy
as I held the lower bar of our Lawn Boy mower, riding on dad’s motorcycle
around the neighborhood, taking care of the home with weekly chores, the value
of hard work and taking pride in doing it well, business sense and savvy,
financial wisdom and expertise and wonderfully caring for those less fortunate
than ourselves. It was then at my childhood home that it hit me: dad cared about people so much that he was
relentless in his giving to others and their needs.
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| My folks and I as we were enjoying a lunch together at a favorite spot of dad's when they visited my home in Kansas. |
I shared how I had the pleasure of
my parents visiting Georgia prior to my father’s passing. Dad got to visit and
see all of the families, students and leaders who God has put into my path
along the way. Dad got to meet Jacob and Devon, two boys God has allowed me to
share life with fully in my time. It was awesome when I took him to the place
where I will marry my dear fiancée Amy Christine Parker on the 4th
of July this year. He got to see a live sand dollar for the first time in his
life when we visited there. While staying at my home in his visit, we played
Spades, Clue and enjoyed a good burger in town along with some local seafood
along the way. It never hit me until now that my dad’s final words to me in
person at the Jacksonville airport were, “I’m proud of what you’re doing here,
Phil.”
It wasn’t expected that my father
would pass away so sudden. God knows best for our lives, although in the midst
of pain I couldn’t imagine why He would do this to us. I then began to reflect
upon the state of my earthly father. He was tired, in agony from pain in his
body, fully on oxygen and hoped to have more surgeries to help his pain. God
called my daddy home to relieve him of his earthly pains and struggles. I have
peace knowing that my father’s legacy lives within me and my family. Dad passed
on some amazing things to us in our time together during the events leading to
his funeral and to that I find amazing joy and smile.
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| This was something that hung in my daddy's bathroom as a reminder of how much he meant to me which I made in kindergarten. |
There’s no doubt I’m going to mourn
and grieve my dad’s passing which caught us off guard. I find another kind of
peace knowing that Jacob can become a teacher to me in grieving the passing of
dad, just as he has in the past year and a half. It’s amazing how God can use
events like these to bring us closer to the calling we have upon our hearts.
Come alongside me, please and pray that God remains true throughout this time
and that I see how this event can be one where I can identify with our military
teens’ lives and experiences.
Honored to pass on my father’s
legacy to love those less fortunate than myself and care for people all over
Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield!
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