I had planned to write my next post about my parents; but this one seems more timely. I will write about them soon.

It's early Sat. morning, December 19, and after listening to the wind howl all night, I decided to give up the losing battle of getting any sleep and get up. Naturally, I went to the computer as I usually do first thing in the morning. I saw that TJ had made a new post on his blog; the first in a long time. As I started to read it, the tears began to flow. Tommy, TJ's dad, and I had a very eventful, sometime explosive marrige. We were both very strong personalitiies and often those personalities collided. I loved Tommy, but I couldn't live with him. I hate to admit that we did not remain friends after we separated and our two sons suffered as a consequence. But thankfully in August 2008, Tommy and I settled our differences and when he passed away in March 2009, I am glad to say we were friends.

TJ, your recent post is a beautiful tribute to your Dad. You are right about him; he was a craftsman in his work. He may have had some faults but that wasn't one of them. A lot of homes in Dare County, his home for many years, proudly display his craftsmanship. He was an awesome cabinet maker. He didn't have the fancy tools or education to draw circles, angles, etc. But, he had the privilege of working with another craftsman, his father Lucky Jordan. Your granddad had one of the best names in the construction business. I have seen Tommy take a pizza pan, his tool of choice, to make circles, openings in doors of cabinets, etc.. He also used glasses, cups; anything that happened to be lying around and had the arc or angle he needed. A prospective customer could show him a picture of what he wanted and where he wanted it to go in the house and that's all it took. Soon, that particular item was complete. After both you and Ray were born, I was able to work at home for the first year and I spent many happy hours working in the shop with him. In fact, looking back, those were probably our happiest times together. Because...we were together. He taught me a lot in those days we spent in the shop. I learned to use most of the tools but never acquired any confidence with the router. It just turned too fast. But the band saw was my favorite toy. Note, I didn't say tool, because to me, it was a toy. Papa Jordan taught me to change the blade after changing it about ten times for me. I learned, the hard way, to not cut the angles too sharply and not get the blade in a bind because the cost of those blades came out of my pocket. I would walk into Beach Hardware, next to the shop, and Buster would have a band saw blade waiting on the counter for me. He told me he increased his inventory of this item so he would always have one for me.

Your post reminded me of some of the good times Tommy and I had. It reminded me that our marriage wasn't all bad. After all, you and Ray are a result of that union and I will never be sorry for the gift of you guys. Tommy and I had our differences, but he was a craftsman in his woodworking. I am so glad his talent has been preserved in you and I am glad you are using that talent. When I look at yours and Ray's hands, I am very much reminded of your Dad's. I always thought he had beautiful hands. They could be hard when necessary, but they could be so tender.

AllBlogToolsFacebook comments for blogger brought to you by AllBlogTools.com , Get Yours?