Still, I wonder.

I wonder what my Dad would be like if he was still living. He died when I was just 5 years old. I have only a few memories of him, mostly happy times, like fishing or beating him in a foot race (I really did think I had beat him fair and square.) or driving the car while sitting in his lap.

My dad, James Kenneth Brasfield, USAF,
sometime before 1957.

My dad was only 35 years old when he died. He was a veteran of the Korean War (aka Korean Conflict) having served in the US Air Force with rank of Airman Second Class. I understand that is equal to E-3 rank, which is same as mine in the Army. (I was Private First Class). My aunts told me he was never the same after the war. I believe he may have suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

He attempted to take his life on multiple occasions before succeeding on November 5, 1973. My mother was pregnant at the time with my baby brother, Jeff. My dad had been hospitalized for treatment associated with his suicidal attempts, making some ceramic items that I recall in the attic of my childhood home.

He is buried in Little Rock National Cemetery, Section 16, Site 506, in Little Rock, Arkansas. I remember the funeral, and the twenty-one gun salute at the grave side service.

My mom remarried when I was thirteen years old, to O'Neal Hardy from Memphis. I was uncertain how my life would change as we moved from N Little Rock, Ar. to Memphis TN a week after they married. I couldn't bring myself to call him "Dad", so I called him "Pop". He's a good man and taught me many things. I am thankful for him.

That move to Memphis seriously rocked my world, set me on a path that lead to where I am today. From Memphis, I came to Knoxville where I met Jilly. I wouldn't change a thing.

Today, I called Pop on the phone to wish him a happy Father's Day.

Still, I wonder...

Happy Father's Day 2015,
Dadofmykids

Day 15 of #40Days - Legacy

“Have pity on me, O Lord, because I am in distress.

My eyes, my soul, and my body waste away from grief.”  

Ps. 31:9 (God’s Word Translation) 

Papaw and his namesake Georgia Rose.

Last week, I was sitting at the funeral of my wife’s grandfather.  Everybody always called him Papaw.  I knew him for over 23 years.  There were a lot of facts that I knew about Papaw.  He was a retired utility foreman and preacher.  I heard him preach twice, I think.  He loved to study the Bible and listening to J Vernon McGee on the radio.  I have listened to Dr. McGee a few times, knowing that Papaw was such a loyal listener.  My wife, Jill, speaks fondly of days spent with him.

One of Papaw's life long preacher friends delivered the message at the funeral.  That’s when I realized I didn’t know Papaw nearly as well as I thought.  I won’t try to retell the story of which I am so vaguely aware.  However, I will tell you that Papaw was a faithful man of God.  He led many people to faith in our Lord Jesus.  He set an example of passion for Christ that is simply inspiring.  Now, I think I understand why so many who loved him are grieving.

He left us a legacy.  It is a legacy of faith, hope and love.

I heard this verse today (Ps. 31:9).  The word “grief” caught my attention.  It reminded me of all we have experienced in the last few years.  It made me want to dig a little deeper, too.

About half way through Psalm Chapter 31, the despair takes a sudden and dramatic turn:

I trust you, O Lord.
I said, “You are my God.”
My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.
Smile on me.  Vs 14-16

Trust the Lord.  Give the future to Him.  May He smile on us.  The thought of God smiling on me brings me such peace.  I hope it does the same for you.

God bless,
Dadofmykids

 Post #15 of 40 Days.  Learn more here.

This post was originally on Canvas Rhapsody Blog.

Crawdads, Merry-go-rounds and my Lawler shirt.

The Brasfield Nation invaded Rock Springs Park in Lenoir City today.  Tucker caught a crawdad.  And the kids learned how to go faster on a merry-go-round.

Tucker's Crawdad:  There is a creek at the park.  It took Tucker about a minute to find a critter living in the water.  And seeing a critter is never good enough.  He has to catch it.

The strange thing is that he had a net tucked away in our van.  I didn't know there was a net in the van.  But he didn't even think twice.  He ran and got the net like greased lightening.

Here's the video of Tucker catching Fred.  (That's right.  He named it.)

The Merry-Go-Round:
The kids asked me to push.  Faster.  Faster!!  FASTER!!!!

So I taught them how to use centrifugal force to make themselves go faster.  In this video, watch closely after I stop pushing.  You'll hear a thump as Asher hits the deck and Riley moves toward the center.  At that point, they pick up so much speed that Tucker is not able to bring himself in.

We also threw some baseballs and sat on a bench.

My Jerry Lawler Shirt:
When we got home, the mail man delivered my Jerry Lawler shirt.  In case you don't know the situation, Jill ordered a shirt from my favorite pro wrestler, Jerry "The King" Lawler, for Valentine's Day.  She ordered in plenty of time, about a month before Val' Day.  When it didn't arrive on time, she contacted Lawler's website.  To make it up to me, Jerry Lawler himself called me on Val' Day.  He said he wanted me to know that Jilly had done it all right.  Additionally, he autographed the shirt and put it in the mail.

Jerry was supposed to be on Monday Night Raw on Feb 14.  But his mother passed away the day before.  So he was off taking care of funeral arrangements and family business.  He still called me, despite his personal situation.

Jerry Lawler is a WWE Hall of Famer.  Class of 2007.  I watched him on local Memphis TV when I was a teenager.  He retired from action and became a ringside commentator.  Recently, he came out of retirement and is due to fight for the WWE Championship tomorrow night against The Miz, on Pay Per View.

The shirt arrived just in time for me to wear it during the championship match.  I think I'll wear it to church tomorrow, too.

It was another good day for The Brasfield Nation.

God Bless,
Dadofmykids

Funeral talk with Laken.

She begged me to sit down and talk with her. So I did.  We went over all the junk I've told her. Junk like saying "open sesame" to the electric gate will make it open automatically. And stuff like Google reading your thoughts to complete a search from your cell phone.

After a few minutes, she said we should let her brain rest.  All the ideas were causing her head to expand.  So I offered a new idea for her to try:

"If you will hold one finger on a nostril and exhale kinda hard out the other nostril, it will relieve pressure on your brain,"  I said.  "Be sure and do both sides equally."  It worked so well, she tried to do both sides together.

She asked me to quit laughing at her.  But I couldn't.  

For those who don't know Laken, she is Jill's second cousin.  But our relationship is more like uncle/niece.  When Laken was little, she spent a lot of time with us.

Laken, if you read this, please know that I love you dearly.  You make me laugh.  We have fun at your expense, and you just play along.  You're a good sport.

It was unexpected fun and laughter on an otherwise gloomy day.

God bless,

Dadofmykids