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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Hospitality (02/07/05)
It didn’t matter when or where people saw my father, whether they stopped by to visit or would accidentally run into him at the shopping mall, he knew how to make everyone feel special. The moment he would lay his eyes on you, he would greet you with enthusiasm and love. My father would make you feel like you were the most important person on this earth, and that there was no one else he would rather be with. It was as if, in just seeing you, he was filled with joy. The kindness he showed to all whom God led into his life made them feel that they had real value.
My father’s occupation was as a Tower Operator/Telegrapher for the Burlington Northern Railroad. His tower was located at a remote site outside of St. Paul, Minnesota. He worked alone in this tower beside the railroad tracks, on the afternoon shift which ended at midnight. Many times, drifters would jump off the freight trains and climb up the stairs of the tower seeking food or drink. It was not unusual for my father to not only offer them cold water, but the lunch in his lunch bucket also. As the breadwinner for a family of 9, the lunch was meager, but he gave what he had.
My father has passed on, but the greatest example he gave to me during his lifetime was his love and hospitality to others. Whether familiar or strangers, it did not matter to him. Compassion and hospitality were truly a part of his nature.
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:36-39 NLT
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This article has been read 977 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
L.M. Lee
02/14/05
Your dad would have been a great guy to know. You were blessed.
donna robinson
02/15/05
You told this story with such love that the reader felt they knew your father. What an inspiring example of love he must have been for you!
Sally Hanan
02/17/05
Beautifully done.
Phyllis Inniss 
02/17/05
Such a good example of love and hospitality your father was to you. So often these virtues are ignored.