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The Rev
A Tribute to a Great Man,
a Great Preacher,
and a Great Father
Lori's Essay - written the day of Dad's retirement party.
On Sunday (the day of Dad's retirement party), we all went to church…here's the list of family there…
Elinor and Ken; Geraldine and Uncle Jim; Carol Ann, Barbie and Alec; Lisa, Susan, and Mom (Nancy Ellen Shellhamer); Jane, Mark and Tyler; and John, Andy, David, Jordan, and I.
Dad, of course, was there too, as the minister, though, that soon will be over, only one month left. My heart slows with this, because I'm so deeply saddened, knowing I will miss everyone dearly. The times we shared in church events went far beyond the business at hand. And in this time of togetherness they touched our souls in so many different ways…with laughter, shared and understood problems, kindness and patience, a passing smile and 'How do". But, most of all, just by being themselves, and just because we were so very glad to be a part of their lives, as they were of ours, and hopefully, will always be. I love each and every one of them and my heart aches in writing this as tears stream down my face…
But, then, I think of my dad and all the things we missed, so many times we left him behind and our family seemed so small without him there. Although, we understood, because we soon came to realize that there was far more people in our family than just us. And to this day it amazes me that some think that the life of a minister is gravy and they only work on Sundays…but this I know is far from being true. But, my dad rarely complained and when we really needed him, he was always there, no matter how busy he was. Thank you Dad. But, most of all I thank you for giving me the life, as a minister's daughter.