“Friend to Friend,” Friend, Jan. 1977, 6
Friend to Friend
“My dad says that he cannot remember ever fighting with his three brothers or having cross words with his parents when he was a boy. He was very kind and patient as a child and he’s still the most patient person I know.”
“Dad calls me in the middle of the day when I’m home alone and talks just to me.”
“Sometimes I get to go with Dad to the plant store. We talk about school and he always helps me if I have any problems.”
“Occasionally Dad takes me to lunch. Once in awhile I get to go to conferences with him. Dad loves chocolate cake and fried chicken.”
“He’s extremely well organized and always on time or early.”
“He treats Mom great, and he really shows that he loves her.”
“Dad says very little to discipline us. We already feel bad when we don’t please him.”
“For family home evening we usually have an opening song, a lesson, and then we play a game, either indoors or outdoors. It’s really a lot of fun!”
A married daughter summed up how she felt about her father: “I am always amazed at his complete understanding and his total devotion of time to a problem. I guess I’m trying to say he really gives you quality time.”
“I remember that when we’d take a trip he’d point out things to us as we drove along to make it more interesting and to teach us new ideas.”
“My father cares so much for my mother. He really watches over her. He’s a great example to us all. I can never remember a time when he raised his voice in anger.”
“His mother was a very loving, giving person. His father didn’t talk a lot but when he did everyone listened. His parents attended the temple every week. Dad knew that it was an important responsibility for them to assume. Otherwise, they would not have left the four boys home alone.”
“Dad tells us that his family had family prayer and always went to their meetings. He knew his parents loved him.”
“My dad has a neat sense of humor.”
“He tickles us.”
“He wakes me up by singing a song at six-thirty in the morning. Sometimes he’ll sing ‘Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes.’ Then he asks me if I have any problems I would like to talk about. Daddy says to me, ‘You’re the sweetest ten-year-old girl in the whole world!’”
“He was a good athlete in college, and hurling the discus and javelin were his specialties. He runs a mile daily now and swims two or three times a week.”
“Dad likes to garden and listen to opera. Often he combines the two and listens to classical music while he works. He also sings and plays the harmonica.”
“His favorite saying is, ‘Look at the beautiful picture Mother Nature has painted for us.’ He says that a lot.”