The Red Hot Man

For those that know him, they will agree that my dad is a "friend to children" and he has been gifted with all the necessary personality traits: patient, kind, warm, gentle, silly...and the list goes on. My dad always has room on his lap for a toddler looking to find a place to sit, he always finds the time to stop what he's doing to help a little one with a project (or to make an arsenal of weaponry for little boys that visit him out in his barn). He patiently allows granddaughters to comb his thick grey hair and "style" his beard...he patiently sits. I can share more than one story of a child losing an appetite because of a visit to PopPop's house during cocktail hour. Oddly enough, my kids have an uncanny love for salami, cheese, pretzels, sardines and martini olives.
I was reminded this weekend of one other name my dad has been given. For as long as I can remember, my dad has been known as "the red-hot man." Each sunday, he prepares for church by not only dressing sharp and grabbing his Bible, but he takes the time to fill his pockets with red-hot candies. Most kids know better then to ask before worship, but as soon as the benedicition is given, you can stand back and watch the magic that takes place. One at a time the kids in church begin to surround my dad, with their hands held out flat toward the grey-bearded man. They wait as the "red-hot man" patiently gives each child a handful of candies. Even the most timid and shy kid is not afraid of him...afterall he's giving away free candy...what's to fear.
And here's the part I love: it is brilliantly simple. It takes minimal effort, yet it's a wonderful example of his quiet ministry. In the midst of parents chatting and often ignoring kids during a church coffee-hour, here is a gentle and kind man that has spent years refining his ability to stop an "important" conversation to fill the hands of little kids with a few spicy treats.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

Comments

[Amy]

so true, I'm sure we parents do not tell your dad often enough, or ever, how much we appriciate his love for our children.
When I was a kid we had a "candy man" at our church. One day my mom took us to a funeral (she wanted us to experience the process with someone we didn't know to prepare us for when someone we did know died . (is that strange?)) anyway, I thought it was the candy man, even when I passed the casket I wasn't sure if it was or not. Imagine my relief the following Sunday when the candy man was at his post as usual!
I hope that our kids will have fond memories of the red hot man, and that they won't be mixed with the memory of a funeral!

[Fletch]

thanks for the kind comments amy...sorry for the sappy love songs during your dental cleaning! i hope the ipod music made up for it...oh yeah...sorry about the tube on the head thing too...that's not a normal part of the dental exam... fletch

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