Dear Dad,

    I really miss you today. I’m not sure exactly why, but it just hit me as I was listening to Amy Grant sing “Somewhere down the road” and writing daily devotionals. As I spoke honestly with our Father while listening to those words of promise being sung, my heart went to you and just how much I miss you now sharing my journey down the road with me.

    There have been so many wonderful things in my life that I wish you could have been around to share with us — your precious grandchildren, the way your boys are serving the Kingdom, the accomplishments and character of your daughter-in-laws, the way mom came through all the tough times, and the exciting new music in the church today. You’d really love it all! I miss not getting to share it with you until I get somewhere down the road.

I just wanted to say “Thanks!” and “I miss you.”

    I guess since you’re somewhere down your road, you have more answers to your questions than I do. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt my faith or our Father. It’s just that there are so many unknowns and unexplained things that dot my life. So many of them are good. It’s hard to understand why I should be so blessed. For much of that, I have you and mom to thank. You two taught me what was important and how to find others with whom I could share those important things as I go down life’s road.

    But there are harder things that intersect and disrupt life that are difficult to understand. I have often wished that I could lean on your experience and wisdom instead of having to blunder my way through. It’s really hard learning things the hard way. It’s even harder trying to help others who are going through tough times and not having any good explanations for them, much less any short-term solutions. I trust that somewhere down the road they’ll get their answers, too.

    Anyway, enough of my rambling, I just wanted to say “Thanks!” and “I miss you,” and “some days are harder than others to wait until I’m somewhere down the road and I’m with you again.”

Love always,

Phil

Al “Buddy” Ware passed away after a long battle with a very difficult and painful illness in September of 1980 shortly after his first grandchild was born. He was a godly man, a song leader, “Daddy Al” to many beloved teenagers and college students, an elder in the Lord’s church, and my dad.