What Should I Do With My Life? Play Golf and Bond with Dad!

It was April of 1996, a year after finally achieving my Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Music, and I was still unsure of my direction in life. After all that schooling and spent money, I still didn’t know what I could really do with my degree. I was frustrated and wondering and I needed to take my mind off my present situation. Easter weekend was upon us, so I went home to Cadillac, MI to hang out and have dinner with my family.

My dad and I had an interesting relationship. If we talked about anything other than golf or gambling we would butt heads. This was one of the good weekends. Since it was Masters weekend, we were in hog heaven and getting along handsomely. We were watching the final round of the Masters, the year of the colossal collapse of Greg Norman. Nick Faldo won that year, but all I can remember is how difficult it was to watch Greg Norman fall apart.

Unlike Greg, this was a very good weekend for me because I felt accepted by my dad. Not just because we were communicating well, but because of what I decided to then and there.

“You know, I wonder if I could get into the golf business. You know, just work in a shop and get into the business side of golf.”

My dad seriously shocked me. “That is a good idea. You should look into that. That is a great idea.”

Wow. My dad never thinks my ideas are good let alone great.

A week later, I had a job as an Assistant Golf Professional at Maple Hill Golf Club under Jim Ransberger outside of Saginaw, MI. Crazy, I know, but I just began making the calls starting Monday. I hunted down the job, and with God’s help of course and I got it. I was pumped up!

That winter I headed down to Orlando, Florida to continue my golf career. Rodney and Tina Porteous had made the move down there earlier that year, and they offered me a room for a month until I got on my feet.

I knew I was not there for Disney. No Kissimmee vacation for me. I was there to work and continue my new golf career.

After working for a month and a half with a Rent-A-Center place, I got the call I was waiting for. I interviewed with Metro West Country Club and got the job. I was there to pull carts out in the morning and push them back in the evening and carry clubs for the players to the first hole and pick up range balls, but I was excited. What an opportunity!

Three weeks into the job I got a call from Chad, my oldest brother. I knew that whenever I got a call from him something was wrong. He said our dad had been diagnosed with liver cancer. It was the third time he had gotten the hideous disease, and that was the last time. He died April 29, 1997.

But I hold dear the time my dad and I bonded over my golf career. He was so very proud of me because of that, and I was like a kid again relishing in his love and encouragement. That last year with my dad was the best year I ever had with him and for all the garbage we went through, it was worth it to get to it.

Janie and Jerry are Awesome!

As many of you know by now, our daughter Susannah was born last month. Her one-month anniversary was Friday in fact. And our friends and family have poured upon us such generosity; we can’t help but be so thankful.

Janie and Jerry, my sister and brother-in-law in Minnesota, sent Susan and I a package of wonderful gifts including a carved and painted block for Susannah with a special scripture verse on the bottom that had been near and dear to our mom’s heart. The scripture verse is Psalm 103:1-2: “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
Well, if you know me, you know that I can’t hold back my tears very well, and so the tears flowed. I was so touched at not only the gifts but the love that Janie and Jerry poured out through the letter along with the gifts.

Here is their letter:

“Dear Ted and Susan,

Congratulations! I wanted to send you something really special on this incredible occasion, so I had this block made for Susannah to be able to look at when she gets older and for you to cherish in years to come. I put a Bible verse on the bottom of the block, Psalm 103:1-2, for a special reason. Ted, since our Mom can’t be here on earth to rejoice with you, in her honor, I included one of her favorite Bible passages. Sort of as a way of reminding you of how much she loved and loves you and your family.
Our mom died just six weeks before my first baby was born. I remember the pain of not having her there. But God never left us! And he has never left you. Look at the great things He has done! He is good.
We look forward to the day when we get to meet Susannah in person.
Love,
Jerry and Janie”
Our birth mother died of breast cancer in March of 1979. I was only eleven years old and I was still not quite aware of all that was going on around me, including Janie’s own pain. All of my brothers and sisters and dad and the whole city of Cadillac were in pain at the loss of such a wonderful woman of God.

So I wanted to lift up the two of them, Janie and Jerry, before the Lord and honor them. They are two of my very favorite people! I put together a triptych of three pictures of Susannah surrounded by the gifts and the letter they sent us.