We lost him in late January earlier this year, just a few days shy of his 91st birthday. I blogged about him a few days after we laid him to rest.
I miss you, Dad.
Last night I tried to remember some of his favorite sayings. Here are a few:
1. “Not a bit a’ danger.”
2. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”
3. “You think rasslin’ on TV is fake. Lemme see you climb into the ring with one of those guys!”
4. “None of these preachers today want to talk about the stuff that really matters. Things like divorce, adultery, living in sin…”
5. “The young people call it ‘having a relationship with someone.’ They can call it want anything they want to, but it’s just plain ole shacking up.”
6. “I think the stupidest expression I’ve ever heard is: ‘It is that.’ What the heck does that mean?”
7. “Man who sleeps with a dog lies down with fleas.”
8. “Man who flies upside down has crack up.”
9. “You don’t know what work is. Why, when I was a boy I hoed corn on a hill in the hot sun for ten cents an hour.”
10. “I don’t want to hear about anybody’s stupid medicine. That’s all people wanna talk about.”
11. “People’s dying that’s not ever died before.”
12. “Whenever you want to spend your hard-earned money, ask yourself: Do I want this? Or do I need this? Don’t buy it unless you actually need it.”
13. “People are digging their grave with a fork and spoon.”
14. “You can’t really get away with anything in this life. My grandparents and parents used to tell me: ‘Be sure your sins will find you out.’”
15. “Those stupid people on their cell phones in Wal-Mart. . . You get behind one of those fat women waiting in line at the cash register and she’s yakking away, staying stupid stuff like: ‘Where you at?’”
16. “Anybody can have a birthday? What’s the big deal about a birthday?”
17. “I’m hungry. When do we eat? What’s the holdup?”
18. “Why do all these stupid people think they have to have a present for Christmas? Why, when I was a boy, we’d be lucky to get an orange or apple and piece of stick candy. And some kids didn’t even get that.”
19. "People ask me if a dog or a snake or a cat will bite. I always point to the animal's teeth and say, "Whaddya think those are for?!'"
Dad, you were truly a cantankerous, one-of-a-kind character. Will never forget after a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I finally was awarded my Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. You couldn't have been prouder. And when I received my degree, I made a copy of it for you. You framed it and hung it on your den wall, boasting to everyone that you had earned your Ph.D. from Iowa. And who was to know any different? After all, we had the same name!
We love you and miss you. It’s just not the same at the old home place in Tennessee any more. But Mom and the rest of us are trying to keep our spirits up, and we are putting one foot in front of the other (taking one day at a time).
Because what else can we do?
A happy posthumous Father’s Day to you, Dad.
4 comments:
nice story about your dad. still miss mine and hserocue's been dead 37 years
thanks for your kind comment.
yes, a dad can never be replaced. and never forgotten.
i know you miss yours.
Hello Dr. Timbs,
I don't know if you remember me, this is Bridgette Smith, I was in your MCOM class last fall semester. Anyways, I was sitting here on my computer browsing around the internet on this Sunday evening, and decided to check out your blog (I always used to enjoy reading your thoughts when I was in your class). All this to say, I just kept scrolling and scrolling, sniffling, and scrolling. The way you write is so easy to read and relatable. Thanks for sharing your life, thoughts, doubts, and hopes with others. You are truly an artistic inspiration to me. I will admiringly refer to my first Mass Comm professor for many years to come. Hope our paths cross sometime in the near future! Take Care Dr. Timbs! -Bridgette
I just now saw your comment, Bridgette. Of course I remember you! Thanks for reading and for your kind words. Keep me posted on how you are doing.
LT
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