On your birthday, I am reminded of all the wonderful times we had together.
Some of my favorite memories and life lessons of you are as follows.
You were an entrepreneur before entrepreneurship became known. You were talented beyond belief. There was nothing you could not conquer. You also were never afraid to try new things.
A few of the adventures you I can remember.
You were the ultimate Santa Claus, and that will never change. When we were little living at Grandpa’s, Santa stopped by, woke us up and wished us a Merry Christmas. That was the year the Forgotten Child’s Fund had the shirts. I know I am somebody because God doesn’t make no junk. That shirt and line has stuck with me.
He played Santa for many organizations over the years. One of the last times he played Santa was at Ruby Falls on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. Someone from Ruby Falls called right before we sat down for dinner and asked him to come in. The Santa who was supposed to be there couldn’t come. Uncle Mike declined the offer, because he had a house full of family. The person’s response on the other end of the phone was to bring them all. We will let them in for free. And that was what we did that year.
Sometimes, you would gather all the kids and take us on a drive around town to see the Christmas lights. We learned about the rainbow colored candy canes on one of those trips.
At Halloween time, you would load up the trailer and haul us around the neighbor so we could trick or treat. We were the cool kids that had a ride and didn’t have to climb that hill.
Back when Hamilton Place had a movie theater inside the mall, you taught us how to sneak Krystals into the movies. I wish I could remember what movie we saw.
You taught us how to bait a hook. And how to take the fish off the hook.
You were always the taxi driver for the trips up North. You driving the 15 person van with Grandpa as your co-pilot.
You had a love for cooking. We spent one afternoon making fried pies. And since someone misread the recipe, it took much longer than expected. I am pretty sure Uncle David saved the day by finding a grocery store that was open so we could buy more ingredients to finish the pies.
In your jewelry making era, you painted bracelets. I recall the lion on your bracelet for Mom.
There was the tiem you had a tee-pee in the backyard.
One year during the World’s Longest Yard Sale, I found you making kettle corn popcorn at a vendor spot on Signal Mountain.
You had the coolest yellow convertible car. Maybe a Cadillac? When you owned Big Daddy’s Skateboard shop. At the corner of Ely Rd and Hixson Pike. I remember a few ramps at the bottom of the driveway.
At one point, you entered the Blacksmith era. You even built a shop for your hobby. I believe the longest adventure you had was the Civil War reenactment phase.
One of your last adventures was turning the back deck into an enclosed art studio.
As you can see, this man lived a filled life. His life centered on Jesus, despite numerous hobbies and adventures. He lived a life that showed the love of Jesus. I never remember him coming at us with scripture, but always love and showing us the way.
One of the most important lessons he taught us was about breaking bread with people. Holiday dinners often included unfamiliar guests. One of Uncle Mike’s natural gifts was to include people, and that typically came with food. Looking back, most meaningful moments centered on meals together. It’s clear to me now how effortless it is to lower your defenses and stay engaged while gathered around a table, sharing a meal.
I credit those memories for where my love for entertaining originated there. Having the people I love around a table breaking bread. Around the table is where we reconnect. And I desire to have more time for breaking bread this coming year.
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