Fathers' Day #1

As Fathers' Day (it is plural in my book!) approaches I would like to honor some of the Dad's who are/have been special in my own life and in those I love. As I write, my father-in-law, Pappaw Jack to my children and just Pappaw to my grandchildren, toils alongside the wonderful son,dad, big brother,father-in-law,pappa he brought into the world. Jack has always been special to me; from day one he welcomed me, making me one of his own. After my own dad died he became even more of a treasure as I realized treasure can be lost. He is one of the most caring and giving men I have ever known, forever expending his abundant love and energy to those around him. One of his greatest pleasures in life is to help others. When he comes home to the mountains he usually brings a mental list of chores he want to help Harold accomplish before he returns to his less rural daily routine. Having grown up on the farm, this pruning of trees, repairing of outbuildings, vaccination of animals, refurbishing of equipment...are just fun to him, taking him back to past times when he made his life from the land. Today, by the sweat of their brows and the strength of their backs, Jack and Harold are building pasture fence, extending the pasture to the other side of the creek, not because we need more pasture, but because the other side of the creek needs to be groomed by the goats.
The image above is a digital collage containing images of Jack, Mamma and Pappa Williams (his parents), Grandma May Roberts (Mamma's mother), Uncle Weaver and Aunt Ruth (brother and sister to Jack). The background image is a closeup photo of rusty peeling paint of the fender on an old farm trailer he made from a pickup truck bed.