Calling Daddy
Yesterday around 6:15 A,M., my Daddy, Robert Earl Potts passed away.
He was "Robert" to my mother and his wife of fifty years, Myrna Potts.
He was "Daddy" to me, Mitzi and Deana.
He was "Pops" to Robert, Will & Sarah Potts; David & Daniel Simmons; and Trace and Cory Conn.
He was "Buddy" to his brother and and only sibling, W.A. Potts.
He was "big Rob" to lots of friends and people that he knew in the area.
For 70 years he had lived in this area... running a dairy farm, managing another dairy farm, dispensing wisdom to those who asked ( lol ), loving his kids and grandkids, serving on the local school board.
For the past two years, more or less, my family has been dealing with his declining health. But in the last year, probably, it really became a challenge. So much so that, last November we had to do something I never thought we would have to do.. put Daddy in a nursing home. You see, over almost 30 years of ministry, I've visited nursing homes but never did I think my Dad would one day be a resident of one. But he was..
For the past six months, we have watched as Daddy's health declined. I really can't do justice to explaining what we saw in his declining health. When Daddy was in his prime, he was a bull of a man. Remember one of his nicknames?... "Big Rob?". Daddy was a big man. So, to see his body shrivel up as it did was tough in itself.
Throughout his life, Daddy was a hard-worker and a good dairy farmer. Robert Earl Potts knew cows. He just had a knack for it. He used to read Dairy trade magazines like Hoard's Dairyman, Progressive Farmer and others. And, at times, if he read something someone else was doing that he thought would give him more production from his cows, he would research that idea and sometimes implement it in his own herd.
When I was younger, I admit, Daddy and I didn't see eye-to-eye on lots of things. Someone said we were too much a like and that's why we didn't get along. It took me several years as an adult to begin to realize that just about everything Daddy ever told me, he was right on. If I had followed his advice, I would have avoided some mistakes. But, I can't go back and re-do anything.
I'm 49 now.. almost 50. Daddy is gone. He leaves a pretty strong legacy. A legacy of hard work, honesty, doing what you say you will do and clear thinking. Daddy had a lot of common sense.
In the past, if I was getting ready to make major decision, I would pick up the phone and call Daddy. Sometimes, I didn't like what he had to say..lol... but most of the time he was right. Now, I can't call Daddy. I wish I could. If your Dad is still living, call him today. You don't have to have a question... just tell him you love him. There will come a time when you won't be able to and you will wish that you did.
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