MY TWO DADS

I told my sister I was going to call this post, "My two dads" and she was sure people would get the wrong idea. So, just to set the record straight, this is not a post about alternative lifestyles!!

My father, Sponcil Elkins, died in 1996 and I still miss him every single day. He left a workshop full of odds and ends, some of them things I don't even recognize. I sometimes go out there and just look through little boxes of wrist watch parts or dig through drill bits. He could (and did) fix anything that broke. Mom once said that if it could be fixed, he could fix it, and if it couldn't be fixed, it would take him a little longer. One of my favorite stories, and one that says so much about my dad's character, was when the church tried to borrow money from the bank. Daddy was a church trustee, and the banker told him that the loan committee was going to turn the church down until they saw his name on the papers. They knew that if he signed for the church, they didn't have to worry about the loan being repaid. I was very blessed to have this man of God for my father and as a grandfather to my kids. Best of all, he treated my mother like a queen.

Although she never thought it would happen, in 2001, my mother married another wonderful man. Bennie Sellards had been a neighbor and friend for many years, and his kids grew up with me and my sisters, so we almost felt like family already. We have spent the last 6 years going to church, going on vacations, and generally laughing ourselves silly with Bennie. He had the best sense of humor and loved to laugh at himself. He was such a loving step-father, always willing to do things for us, and always including us in whatever he and my mother were busy with. He fought in the Pacific during WWII and of course, had funny stories to tell about himself and his life jacket. He didn't trust the little air bottle, so he blew it up himself, then pulled the air bottle cord, which caused the life jacket to explode, all during one of the worst sea battles of WWII. And on top of all that, I'm happy to say, he treated my mother like a queen.

Bennie passed away this week after a short illness. We will all miss him so much. I hope everyone reading this post is fortunate enough to have a great dad, but I have been blessed with two.