Thank God.

As the world celebrates Father’s Day today, pause for a moment andthank our Heavenly Father for his abundance of blessings.

First of all, family comes to mind.

Much too often we take our everyday blessings for granted as welabor through another workday. The world in general is consumed byphysical stuff. We want this, we want that, etc., etc.

Most importantly, we have family. Let me tell you about my devotedwife, Laurie. We’ve been united in matrimony for 41-plus years.What a blessing!

Let me tell you about my son, Terry, and my beautiful daughterGale. They have blessed our home in so many ways.

Let me tell you about my son-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Garland Boyd. Hehas been an outstanding father and a spiritual inspiration to ourfamily.

Let me tell you about our lovely granddaughters: Jessica, KallieRose and Sarah. Let me tell you about my handsome grandson, Aaron.Also, there are two cute great-granddaughters to tell you about,Lilly and Layla Ann.

All of them are gifts from God.

Thank you, Lord.

As my 64th birthday approaches next month, I become more and moreappreciative of my family. Hope you don’t take yours for granted.They are precious.

Where do you begin?

Laurie always did her best to provide delicious meals and acomfortable home for our family. Often, this scribe would be in arush to make a ballgame on time. Gobble, gobble.

“Gosh, honey, that was a great dinner. Gotta go. No, I’m not surewhen I’ll be home.”

As I zoomed along the highway thinking about the game, the players,the coaches and rehashing statistics, my family often stayed in thebackground. I knew Laurie would take care of the basics: homework,bath, bed, breakfast, lunch and supper.

Obviously, my wife does a great job. She’s an MVP.

Our son, Terry, is in the spotlight as a budding author ofChristian fiction. He never was much of an athlete but he wasgifted in art and design. He was creating detailed drawings of thespace shuttle when he was 6 years old.

Always an artist and a dreamer, Terry wanted to work for NASA orDisney World when he was growing up. He wasn’t afraid of work. Inhis high school and early college years, he held four, count ’em,F-O-U-R part-time jobs.

He worked in The DAILY LEADER’s pressroom and circulationdepartments. He stocked shelves at Kroger and worked for Trace ClayPhotography. He also worked as a stringer (part-time) sportsphotographer.

Back in the good, old days, when Mississippi State and Ole Missplayed the annual Egg Bowl in Jackson, Veterans Memorial Stadiumwas a Mecca for football fans, often drawing crowds of 60,000.There were doubleheader Saturdays when Ole Miss played LSU in theafternoon and State tackled Alabama in the nightcap. That wasfun.

Terry became an excellent sports photographer, winning some PressAssociation awards. A distinct scene comes to mind, recalling someof those November SEC games that were played on a wet, cold, muddyfield in Jackson.

My son’s tennis shoes would be soaked: covered with grass and mudafter walking the sidelines and shooting the game. He would sit inthe passenger seat of our automobile and shed his socks and shoes.Then he would prop his half-frozen feet on the dash of the car asthe defrost fan rushed warm air between his toes.

Ahh, memories.

Terry and his wife, Becky, established a permanent home inHattiesburg where they have lived for the past 24 years. Theyraised their children, Aaron and Sarah, in a Christian home. Bothare now married.

Terry established himself as a talented graphic artist and designerin the Hub City. He said he was inspired by God to write his firstbook. Hopefully, he will author many more.

“Dad, you need to write a book. I’ll show you how to lay it out andget started.”

That’s known as encouragement.

Write to Sports Editor Tom Goetz atwww.tgoetz@dailyleader.com