Lessons

 

Top 10 Lessons I’ve learned from my Dad:

1. Shut off the lights when you leave the room. Seriously, he once confiscated my lightbulbs
2. Do what you need to do now, so you can do what you want later. My dad worked his butt off to provide for his family, before he even had a family. He combined fields til the wee hours of the morning, and made sacrifices and investments to ensure stability.
3. Being unable to forgive someone is like pretending to be bigger than God. If He can forgive, so can you.
4. If your boyfriend can’t change your car tire or replace the battery, you don’t have a boyfriend, you have a girlfriend. No comment.
5. Silver is refined through fire. Throughout my eventful life, a lot of good things have happened to me; but so have a few bad things. He’s always quick to remind me of this. Let the bad make you better.
6. You are second. Always. Let’s be honest, it’s no secret my parents can raise some babies. There are FIVE of us, and we all depend(ed) on my dad  for “everything but the air we breathe.” And that ain’t no joke. And he rarely complained about it. Rarely. But not only does he put his kids and wife first, he puts almost everyone else there, too. Need your road plowed? He’s got it. No matter how early. Basement flooded? He’s already on the way. No matter what time of day it is. Need a new outlet? No problem.
7. Go to church. Growing up in the house of Bill Watts, you go to church. Every Sunday. Unless you’re dying or close to it, you better show up (I’m still working on this one; don’t judge).
8. It never hurts to try or ask. And I quote “they can’t eat you.”
9. The Lord provides, but you have to do your part. My dad’s whole career depends on the weather. He plants the seeds, and then trusts the Lord will send the rain.
10. Put stuff back where you found it. THE REMOTE. And the air compressor attachments. And the keys. And anything else you “borrow.”

Oh, and answer your phone. You’ll never hear the end of it if you don’t. And pay your bills on time.

I would like to give a HUGE shoutout to a few people:

• Aunt Kris: What a GEM. Seriously. She calls, she prays, and let’s you vent. She never judges, she sends you books, and she’s ALWAYS available–no matter what time of day it is. (Sorry . . .)
• My sweet friends, you know who are. From texts, to calls, to spending time with me on the weekends, you’ve put me in priority and you love me so well. Thanks for letting me cry a lot and not getting weird about it (I’m talking to YOU, Faith Bernard and Liz Satterlee and several other people that I’ve gotten real emotional around).
• Sherri Fredrickson: THIS LADY. She keeps my mom laughing, my dad smiling, and two weeks ago she sent us to “Do something fun. Because we need to have fun.” Love this. And her spirit.
• Every single one of my siblings and family members. GUYS, I’ve witnessed each one of you put forth an effort to help out, be supportive, tell a joke, call each other out (out of love, of course), all to contribute to the success and happiness of each other. This sucks, but I wouldn’t want to do it with any other family. We’re the best.
• Anyone who has showed up, made a meal, sent a card, or told a funny story to lighten the load on us. We freakin’ love you.

My sister will update you on the logistics of dad’s health, so keep reading. Have a great week!

Hannah

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Although there are undoubtedly numerous life lessons that my dad has instilled in me over the past eighteen years of my life, there are a few in particular that I would like to share with you. For starters, I will list a few:

● Be constant with prayer – ­ My entire childhood my parents have made sure that I was a part of a body of Christ and always encouraged me to grow in my faith. They have set the example for a Christ-­centered relationship that I strive to have, as well. No matter if I am in the best moments of my life, or lowest I have ever been, always be in prayer. A few weeks ago my dad and I drove down to Greenville for a men’s volleyball game and while we were in the car he was sharing with me about how he could feel all of the people that were praying for him. He proceeded to tell me how important it is for prayer to be a part of my life every day. These short conversations are something that I have been fortunate enough to have grown up around.

● Live with an attitude that you (or someone you know) may not be here tomorrow – ­If something were to happen to you tomorrow, would you leave this world content with the way you left it? Is there someone you should have apologized to that you didn’t? This was something I had never thought about before my dad brought it up to me on the way home from a tournament. I can’t even remember how the conversation came about but he encouraged me to make sure that there weren’t any relationships that I was postponing mending. Ultimately, he encouraged me to treat people the way they should be treated and not leave things unfinished.

● You can never control someone else’s words or actions, but you can always control your response ­ –  During high school, I hit some points of low self­ esteem. One particular time I remember coming home completely distraught that people could say things so hurtful and not feel any remorse for it. I was telling my parents the way I was being treated and the whole time I was thinking of ways I could retaliate to the people that hurt me. They engraved into my head that I would never win like that. I would always come out of that situation losing. No matter how people react in a situation or what they say about you, you can only control the way you respond. If you act like it doesn’t bother you, they are not going to continue to do it. On a lighter note, he taught me some other things that are necessary to having a successful life. As you read them, let your imagination decide how I learned these things:

● Put things back where you found them, the way you found them. Ex: The remote

● Learn how to use a roadmap. Your phone won’t always work!

● Answer your cell phone if you don’t want to get permanently ridiculed for never answering.

● Say please and thank you.

● Turn the lights off in your car before exiting.

● Sometimes you have to let people make mistakes in order for them to be able to learn.

● A good sense of humor is always encouraged

Here is an actual update of how dad is actually doing: Thursday morning he began his first round of treatments in Texas. It was a long process lasting nearly all day. From what I heard, only one of the medicines hurt going in but the rest were alright. He is doing well and they are all enjoying the warm Houston weather. While he was at the hospital on Tuesday they saw that his lymph nodes were swelled up quite a bit and could possibly be causing some issues. He will be going in this week to see if the treatment has helped this at all. If not, he will have to have a stint put in to allow all of the valves going in and out of the liver to properly function. Prayers would be appreciated over this specifically. If all goes well, he will receive his next treatment on Wednesday.

Before I finish this post I would like to give a few shout outs to people who have been especially helpful or encouraging.

• ­ My wonderful friends, coaches, and professors here at GC who have taken my hurt in with arms wide open, prayed for me, cried with me, and encouraged me. So many herehave reached out and cared for me during my first week back.
• ­ Those of you who have so generously made meals, sent notes of encouragement, sent money, or even gifts in the mail to my family while I was home. The love was overwhelming.
• ­ Those of you who have graciously invited my family into your home or out to dinner and shared a meal with us.
• ­ My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives that have done everything in their power to support us in what is going on and give 110% of what they have to help us.
• ­ Those of you who are continually praying for us. As you read above, my dad really does feel the power of prayer working on him. We encourage you to continue to pray and share with others that they should pray, too!
• ­ Lastly, to those of you who have sent me encouraging text messages and notes my first week back at school. It has been a rough one and I am so thankful for everyone who has reached out to me.

Sarah

 

 

Prayer Requests for this week:

• Dad: I’m so thankful I don’t feel sick, but I don’t want to have a stint. Pray that liver numbers go back to normal and this won’t be necessary.
• Mom: I want to be able to take care of Bill and humbly rely on God’s provisions each day.
• Jon: I started a new job, and so far it’s going well. Pray that it continues that way.
• Hannah: This weekend I came home, and came down with strep throat. I have to take the next 48 hours off work, and that’s hard on students.
• Sarah: Being away from home is hard, as well as starting a new semester. Pray that time will go quickly, classes go well, and that I can safely travel from school to home as often as possible.
• Jake: Pray that dad’s chemo works.
• Hope: Pray that dad stays healthy. Also, while in Texas, I met a new friend Ms. Vicki. She’s from Florida, and she has liver cancer.