My Old Man

Making the Most of Your Years and Your Descendants

As men of action transition into the third stage of their lives, they may struggle with loss of physical strength and earning power.  John Paul Barber reminds us that the elder season of a man's life has a great value, far beyond the strength of his back or the memory of his largest tax return.

James' relationship with his old man [from Episode 15] is a lot like mine. Daddy grew up extremely poor and was raised by his grandparents. He's only 64 and most of his childhood was spent without electricity or running water. He never learned how to swim. I actually taught him how to ride a bicycle when he was about 40. His grandparents couldn't ever afford to buy him one. So once he was old enough, his life revolved around earning money, just like James' daddy. He was always working so he never spent a lot of time with me. That's why I was so close to my Granddaddy (Mama's Daddy). He was the one who took me fishing and did stuff with me when I was a kid.

Now that I'm older, me and my old man have gotten closer. He literally knows how to fix just about anything. Since I'm a homeowner, all that knowledge he has comes in handy and we've worked on quite a few projects together. I've learned more from him in the last ten years than I did the first 30 years of my life. I just wish he didn't fart so much while we're working on these projects.

(c) 2017 Lynn Lockhart & John Paul Barber