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It was Friday the 13th, 1970, close to midnight
when we got the phone call. Right after
Mother answered the phone, I could tell something wasn’t right. After she hung up, she told me Daddy had been
in an accident and he was being transported to the hospital in
Weatherford. Luckily, the hospital was
within walking distance from our house.
We got to the hospital just ahead of the ambulance. The doctor stabilized Daddy, then he was
transported to Harris Hospital in Fort Worth.
Mother and I went with Daddy in the ambulance. That was the longest ride of the longest
night of my life. It was serious. My father sustained life-threatening
injuries. All we wanted to hear was,
“Joe will be alright.” That night we
didn’t hear many words of comfort. We
didn’t hear much of all.
You don’t realize how important family is until storms roll
into your life. The next morning, the entire Griffin and Lester clan joined us
in the waiting room. Conversation was
minimal but comfort was abundant. Later, members of my father’s church,
Northside Baptist Church of Weatherford, Texas, joined in the vigil.
My father pulled through.
Considering the severity of his injuries, it was amazing that three days
before Thanksgiving, he was home. He was
in a hospital bed in the living room, but he was home.
Of all the Thanksgivings I’ve celebrated, the Thanksgiving of
1970 was the one that stands apart from all the rest. It was possibly the smallest. Only Mother, Daddy, my sister Janis and I
celebrated together that day. With great
effort, Daddy moved from the bed to the table for our Thanksgiving meal. On that day, Daddy’s Thanksgiving prayer
wasn’t a ritual we went through before digging into Mother’s wonderful
meal. It was a genuine offering of
thanks for everything the Lord had provided us.
This Thanksgiving was special.
Daddy won’t be with us this Thanksgiving, he passed away
October 8th. We will miss him
this year, but I’m grateful for the 48 Thanksgivings we celebrated with Daddy
since his accident. This Thanksgiving I
have so much to be grateful for. I have
a wonderful wife, Susan, I still have my mother, brother and sister. I have a job I love during the school year
and Doublecreek during the summer. I
have an ever expanding Doublecreek family of campers, parents, counselors and
staff who mean everything to me.
My message to you this Thanksgiving is a simple one. Cherish those close to you and appreciate all
you have. Have a wonderful
Thanksgiving!!
-- Joe Ray
