Daddy’s Hands

As my dad laid in his recliner over the last several weeks of his life, oftentimes I would grab his hands and rub them and  just admire them. I would reflect on all of the things that those hands had done for me and our family

I couldn’t help but be reminded of a country music song from back in the 80s entitled “daddy’s hands”.

One verse in the song says that “daddy‘s hands weren’t always gentle but what I’ve come to understand is that there was always love in daddy’s hands”.

My daddy was a man often thought of as tough and hard and many times he was but what I can say about my daddy is that I never once questioned how much he loved me, my brothers and my mother

He was deeply committed to his family.

His hands provided correction when I had done something wrong which was often as a youth. He certainly believed the scripture “that to spare the rod is to spoil the child” but those same hands hugged me every time I went out the door to go back to college and again hug me when I got back safely, always telling me how much he loved me. Those hands worked diligently day in and day out to provide for us.  I witnessed those hands with a small battin, pencil, and a blank piece of paper bringing from his mind his next creation.  As a young boy I would often help him either hold the battin or strike the pencil. He later taught me what those lines were and how to do the same. Those same hands would then go in the shop and out of a stack of raw wood would create a masterpiece that in many cases would travel to distant parts of the world in search of adventure and fish.

My daddy my father was always present in my life.

There isn’t enough paper nor time for me to relive the memories of our times together and to say that he was a big part of my life would be a major understatement. It is said that if you ever come across a turtle sitting on the top of a fence post that you can rest assured he didn’t get there by himself. My life is a reflection of the time that daddy spent with me. My love for hunting began around 6 years old cause daddy took me. My love for baseball began soon thereafter because when he would get home from working all day I would be sitting outside on the steps waiting with 2 gloves and a ball and he would play catch with me. My love for my wife and family was modeled for me. My love for anything on the water is because that’s what I grew up doing with him. My love for boats and boat building certainly came from him because that’s what I grew up watching him do. Daddy was present in my life always and quite frankly I’m not sure what life will be like without him. Memories are what I have left and lots of them because dad was always present.

– Ricky Scarborough Jr.