| Hardy Jackson's Alabama |
Illustration by Dennis Auth
A father and son moment
W
hen it comes to being a father, I feel I have done my share. Yessir, I am the father of three – two girls and a boy. In many ways this gender division made life easier for me. Growing up, when the girls had a problem, they naturally sought advice from their mother. When my son was young, this approach also worked. When he came to me with a “what to do” dilemma, I was able to solve his problem by simply advising him to “do what Mama says.” Now some may disagree, but I believed that I was being a good father, preparing my son for living in a world where the order of things was determined not by some natural, rational calculus but by a feminine formula the logic of which is beyond the mind of man. But my son, young and full of himself, struggled with this concept. So, I told him a story. Once upon a time there was a man who lived in California. He was an upright man, and eschewed evil. One day he was walking on the beach, and the Lord appeared to him and said: “You have been a good man, upright and eschewing and all
Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus at Jacksonville State University. He can be reached at hhjackson43@gmail.com
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that, so I will grant you a wish, whatever you want.” And the man replied, “I love to surf. And I have always wanted to surf in Hawaii. But I am afraid to fly and I get seasick, so I have never crossed the ocean. Can you build me a bridge to Hawaii?” And the Lord frowned. “Yes, I can. I am the Almighty. Lord of Lords. Very God of Very God. All that stuff. I can do anything. Omnipotent. That’s me. A bridge to Hawaii? Sure. But I was hoping for something a little more to the benefit of mankind. Something that would make life better for others. Why don’t you take another shot at it?” And the man, feeling a bit ashamed, paused. Then, suddenly it came to him. And he asked of the Lord, “Enable me to understand women.” And the Lord God Almighty looked down and said: “You want that bridge two lanes or four?” And my son, the scion, flesh of my flesh, looked at me in a way he had never looked before, looked at me and said, “You mean even God . . .” And I said “yes.” And the years between us fell away and we were one in our confusion. Every father should have a moment like that. If you have a son, Father’s Day might be a good time to give it a try. And if you have daughters, ask them to help you. They already know the answer. www.alabamaliving.coop
5/17/21 3:44 PM