One day the Lord happened upon a little farm in West Nissouri Township.  He looked down and saw a man toiling alone on the land.  The Lord saw that all the fences on the farm were straight, all the crops were growing bountifully; the animals were healthy; the grass was cut; and the flowers were blooming.  He spoke to the man and said, "Tell me, why do you care so much and work so hard in the hot sun?"  The man looked up at the Lord and said, "Because I want to make a difference."

 

The Lord continued to focus on the man for a time.  He watched him rise early in the morning to milk the cows, then go back to the house to cook and stir the oatmeal porridge to feed his children.  He watched him peel potatoes and scrub carrots so they would be ready to cook when the children got home from school.  He watched him go back out to the barn to work until supper time, when he came back into the house to supervise the supper table; to cut the meat into tiny pieces for the small mouths to chew, and to try his best to make sure all the peas and carrots were eaten before the warm applesauce with cream was served.  He watched him then sit back, sipping his steeped tea and asking how each child's day was; what they learned at school that day; what homework the older ones had; what questions or problems had arisen that day that needed to be talked about.

 

As the sun went down, the dishes were done, the floor was swept, the homework was finished and bedtime arrived.  After giving hugs and kisses and tucking his children into their beds, the four girls sharing two double beds and the son in a bed of his own, the man started to go down the stairs to the main level of the house.  With every step he took, a different child's voice rang out, "Good night Daddy!"  The nightly competition then began, each one saying "Good night Daddy", again and again, wanting to be the last voice he heard before the downstairs door closed.

 

As he neared the last steps, the Lord spoke to him again, and said "With all of the vast lands and numerous children in the world, how can what you do make a difference?"

 

The man was distracted and didn't answer right away.  He was listening carefully to each child's voice, for he answered every "Good night Daddy" by name.  "Good night wee Myrna."  "Good night wee Ardis."  "Good night wee Dale."  "Good night wee Cheryl."  "Good night wee Glenna."  "Good night you dear wee souls."

 

As he reached the main floor and shut the door behind him, he stopped and sighed.  He then looked up at the Lord and said, "I make a difference to these five."

 

"Good night Daddy!"

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Written by Glenna Monteith-Richards                                                                         

 

Sadly missed by his children, Myrna, Ardis, Dale, Cheryl and Glenna