This Man Was My Father by Patricia Morse-McNeely

This Man Was My Father
Patricia Morse-McNeely

In Memory: Bleecker Lansing Morse, Sr.

He looked at life with laughter, and at his fellowmen with love. God was his King, Jesus his Prince and his Friend. His faith was his staff, and he held it aloft like a shining sword in a world of darkness. A child was his treasure chest, and into his children, he poured his golden personality in an unending stream of warm generosity. He looked ahead with joy and anticipation, and behind with forgiveness and compassion. He met men with dignity and a deep assurance of his own manliness. He met women with gentleness, tenderness, and a deep-seated sense of protectiveness. He met children with an outpouring of love and understanding and a patience that could only have been born of God's love. He respected the law and abhorred the errors of men within it.
The garden of the mind was his to cultivate, and it yielded abundant crops unto him. Yet he found joy also in the world of physical activity. He worked like an artist with his hands. He gave to life all he had with heart, mind and soul totally involved. And in Death, he gave it all back to God with a quiet, peaceful acceptance of the end. He lived in joy, walked in glory, and died at peace with himself, his fellowman, and his God.

This man was my father.

FROM MY FATHER --

I learned
A leader walks hand in hand with others.
He listens more than he talks,
He directs activities - not people
He considers the rights and ideas of his fellowman
He respects their thoughts and thinking
He knows his personal limitations
He is well-prepared in his own work
And he is helpful to - not critical of - other people's efforts.
(Nov 2, 1996)

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