Happy Father's Day ......Memories

Last night, I set my alarm clock for 7:00a.m. (8:00a.m. in Arkansas) for a special reason...to call my husband and step-father and just simply tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me.

My husband:
Rodney Trotter, Sr., has been a wonderful, stabilizing force in my life and has provided my children with the best gift any child could ever ask for.....a real DAD! He's a teacher, mentor, consoler, nurturer, spiritual guide, and friend to the children. So pleasant was this morning just talking to him and letting him know how much I truly appreciate his faithfulness to the kids and me. He's a quiet giant with amazing insight. He is the reason I am able to be thousands of miles away from home without a worry or a care as to the children's safety and well-being. In his hands, they find strength. In his hands, they have purpose. In his hands, they laugh and play together. In his hands, they know where they can go for comfort and love without judgment. In his hands, we are secure. Thanks Trotter for all you do and for just being you!

My Stepfather:
Here's a guy who married my mom when I was 8 years old. Both he and my mom were in their early 40's when they got married. There were 5 of 8 children still at home when "Daddy Pete" (we affectionately call him) married my mom. His family thought he was crazy to take on so many children (especially in that he had no biological children of his own). But what they did not realize was that he loved us and we loved him too because he would dare love us first. He met my mom when she owned a restaurant on the "black side of town" (it was referred to in those days). Those were days when blacks traded with blacks (they had to)....well that was just the way it was back then. He would come in and see me and my brother running around the cafe while my mother tried to maintain control of us enough to keep her business running. At that time, I was only 5 or so and my brother was 6. After a while, my mom got to know Pete pretty well. He would stay at the cafe til close, just to make sure my mom was safe closing the shop and getting home with us. I remember when Pete asked my mom if he could help her by taking us to his house during the busy rush hours. Mom agreed. WOW...going to his house was always a treat! He bought my brother and I a bicycle and toys. He would sit out on the porch while we played in the front yard under the shade tree. He would take us for ice cream and never, ever violated our sense of being a child. All that before he even asked my mom for her hand in marraige. Daddy Pete is now 77 years old. In 2000, my mom transitioned to glory. But Daddy Pete still calls me "baby girl" (I'm the youngest of the 8). This morning, I had a chance to tell him how much I love him. I reminded him of how he was always there for us and how, although he was not my biological father, I could not have asked for a better DAD! He is a quiet giant with a heart of gold.

I am blessed beyond measure to have had and to still have MEN OF VALOR in my life. Courageous, brave, never wavering, always standing! My son has a great heritage to uphold. My Daddy Pete and Rodney are no millionaires. They never won a Nobel prize. They seek not attention or fame. They have no desire to make a mark on this world....other than raising God-fearing children of character and creating a home environment that's safe for their wives and children to live in. I am so blessed to have them both. Happy Father's Day to my men of distinction and to all those men who are representing likewise for their families.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL DADS!!

Especially to my Pine Bluff, Clinton School & Bowen School of Law Family of fathers.....!!