Happy Father’s Day to all Dads everywhere…

My dad, E. Roy Smith, has been in heaven since 1985. When I stop and think about the number of years it has been since I was able to talk to him it makes me very sad and seems unreal. He was a terrific dad as he worked hard Monday through lunchtime on Saturday at Dixie Lumber Company of Cherryville.

By Anne S. Haynes

lost his dad. When his sister, Bright, married and moved to Ranlo, I always loved to visit her. She had a steep set of cement steps leading up to her front door, and I loved to walk up and down those steps. My dad’s brother, Russ, eventually married and moved to Kings Mountain.

by herself, in spite of the circumstances, and how things may have appeared later on as the years went by.

In my opinion – humble or not – fathers need to count for something, as well as stand up and be counted!

Today’s men need to again be those “men among men” for their children, and their grandchildren. They need to, as the muchused and seemingly well-worn saying goes,

“man up” and take responsibility for rearing their children.

For me, as a father, this means every man who is a father; was a father; or desires to one day be a father: should always celebrate Father’s Day every day, every month, every year, by being just that – a father; a dad, or in some cases (many cases, actually), a stepdad.

I pray for all you men who might read this now, before this Father’s

Day 2023 – for you all to get out there and stand in the gap for your kids, or those God brings your way to mentor or be a dad to.

Be a man among men! Be the best father; best dad; best granddad; best uncle; or best stepdad you can be.

Believe me, you won’t regret it.

Happy upcoming Father’s Day gentlemen! It’s your day to shine!

My dad was a very good man. He was not able to attend school as long as he would have liked to because he had to go to work to help support his mother and younger siblings after his dad died. He willingly put his family above himself. I remember the stories my dad told me about growing up on the family farm and taking care of his mom and younger brothers and sister after they

After my grandmother died, my dad’s brother, Leonard lived with us for a while and then lived with my brother, David and his family. Uncle Leonard was so good to his nieces and nephews and would have been a fantastic dad.

As I said, my dad was a very good man. I admired the way he encouraged my brothers and me to study hard and receive a good education. He knew how important education was since he was not able to attend school for as long as he would have liked.

I know my dad was so proud when I said I wanted to be a teacher. I knew teaching was for me when I was in the second grade at Tryon School. And I announced it again early in high school and never changed my mind.

I remember the way my dad and mom encouraged me to study and work hard when I was accepted at Appalachian State University. They were both so proud when I graduated and went to work right out of college as a third-grade teacher in Cleveland County.

So, I salute all of the wonderful dads and grandfathers, including my husband, Tommy. He is a terrific dad and grandfather, and he has always taken good care of his family. I am so proud of him and all the wonderful dads in my family.

A friend will do his best to prevent you from driving off a cliff. Your enemy will give you directions to the cliff and happily watch you plunge to your destruction. A friend cares enough to caution you about financial decisions or bad investments. Your enemy will be glad to see you lose your money. Your friend will warn you about a snake in the path. Your enemy will tell you to enjoy your walk.

A friend cares enough to help. Your enemy will let you sink. Thirty years ago, I made a move. I had a house payment in one town and an apartment rent in my new location. I had two car payments, a very sick wife and two small children. The financial burden was tough. I met with a group of eight to 10 men every Thursday morning at 6 a.m., for prayer. These men prayed for me but came to me one day and said, “We’re going to collect

$300 to $400 a month to give to you until you sell your house. I was surprised, thankful but declined the offer. They insisted. One man spoke up and said, “We’re not going to sit here and watch you sink.” I was very close to just giving my house back to the bank but fortunately I was able to sell it eventually and gained enough money to make a down payment on a house in my new location.

Your friend may not be able to save you. However, your friend will try to save you from sinking. Your enemy will find humor in your demise.

Your friend will not barrage you with your past mistakes. A real friend puts the past behind and moves forward. The only good thing about remembering past mistakes is so you won’t repeat them. Your enemy delights in rehashing ancient history when you failed, divorced, folded, went crazy, and more. Your friend will focus with you on today. They will celebrate your current life and activities.

The Bible says the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour. Often, his most effective work is discouraging us and immobilizing our lives. The work of God is forgiving, forgetting, cleansing, burying, and looking ahead to the goal line. The work of evil is to take you back to your old sins and failures.

The Bible talks about forgetting those things which are behind. The scriptures teach that God, through Christ, cleanses us of all our sins. He buries our sins in the depths of the sea to be remembered no more. God doesn’t remember them, so why do you worry about a failure that happened a hundred years ago? Remember Lot’s wife? She looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. Looking back turns us into salt or immobilizes us from going forward. You can’t go forward looking over your shoulder. The Bible says press toward the goal line. This means you look forward.

Choose who you spend time your time with very carefully. Live looking forward and avoid those who want to keep you looking back.