'It was your dad that answered all those letters that the kids wrote to Santa every year'
December 25th, 2008 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & FamiliesBackground: Tim Russert's Wisdom of Our Fathers has hundreds of stories men and women tell about their fathers, including the one below. It's a remarkable book--to learn more, see my co-authored column America's Father Hunger (World Net Daily, 10/13/06).
The story below is "The Mail" from John Mooy, of Interlochen, Michigan, about his father mailman Nat Mooy (1905-1985).
"As a young boy, I sometimes traveled the country roads with my dad. He was a rural mail carrier in southwestern Michigan, and on Saturdays he would often ask me to go on the route with him. I loved it. Driving through the countryside was always an adventure. There were animals to see, people to visit, and freshly-baked chocolate-chip cookies if you knew where to stop, and Dad did. We made more stops than usual when I was on the route because I always got carsick, but stopping for me never seemed to bother Dad.
"In the spring, Dad delivered boxes full of baby chicks. Their continuous peeping could drive you crazy, but Dad loved it. When the peeping became too loud to bear, you could quiet them down by trilling your tongue and making the sounds of a hawk. When I was a boy it was fun to stick your fingers through one of the holes in the side of the cardboard boxes and let the baby birds peck on your finger. Such bravery!
"On Dad's final day of work on a beautiful summer day, it took him well into the evening to complete his rounds because at least one member of each family was waiting at their mailbox to thank him for his friendship and his years of service. 'Two hundred and nineteen mailboxes on my route,' he used to say, 'and a story at every one.' One lady had no mailbox, so Dad took the mail in to her every day because she was nearly blind. Once inside, he read her mail and helped her pay her bills. And every Thursday he read her the local newspaper.
"Mailboxes were sometimes used for things other than mail. One note left in a mailbox read, 'Nat, take these eggs to Marian; She's baking a cake and doesn't have any eggs, and don't stop to talk to Archie!' Mailboxes might be buried in the snow, or broken, or lying on the ground, but the mail was always delivered. On cold days Dad might find one of his customers waiting for him by the mailbox with a cup of hot chocolate. A young girl wrote letters but had no stamps, so she left a few buttons on the envelope in the mailbox; Dad paid for the stamps. One busy merchant used to leave large amounts of cash in his mailbox in a paper bag for Dad to take to the bank. On one occasion, the amount came to $32,000. It's hard to believe, but it's true.
"A dozen years ago, when I traveled back to my hometown on the sad occasion of Dad's death, the mailboxes along the way reminded me of some of his stories. I thought I knew them all, but that wasn't quite the case.
"As I drove through Marcellus, I noticed to aluminum lamp poles, one on each side of the street, reflecting the light of the late-afternoon summer sun. When my dad was around, those poles supported wooden boxes that were roughly four feet off the ground. One box was painted green, and the other was red, and each had a slot at the top with white lettering: SANTA CLAUS, NORTH POLE. For years children had dropped letters to Santa through those slots.
"I made a left turn at the corner and drove past the post office and across the railroad tracks to our house. Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table when I heard footsteps on our porch. There, at the door, stood Frank Townsend, who had been Dad's postmaster and great friend for many years. So of course we all sat down at the table and began to tell stories.
"At one point Frank looked at me across the table with tears in his eyes. 'What are we going to do about the letters this Christmas?' he asked.
"The letters?"
"I guess you never knew."
"Knew what?"
"'Remember, when you were a kid and you used to put your letters to Santa in green and red boxes on Main Street? It was your dad that answered all those letters that the kids wrote every year.'
"I just sat there with tears in my eyes. It wasn't hard for me to imagine Dad sitting at the old oak table in our basement reading those letters and answering each one. I have since spoken with several of the people who received Christmas letters during their childhood, and they told me how amazed they were that Santa had know so much about their homes and families.
"For me, just knowing that story about my father was the gift of a lifetime."
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December 24th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Stories like this prove that the world can be a lovely place. I know from first hand experience how important fathers are. I have a list of things that feminists destroyed. Marriage, men, mothers,fathers,children and the family are only the beginning of the things feminists destroyed. After reading this story I add a new victim to the list: feminists destroyed love, respect and community. The world was going along fairly well until they came along and spread their unfounded suspicions. Have you ever noticed how hateful feminists are and always have been? I love stories like this because not only are they true and heartwarming but I've experienced similar circumstances in my own life. Now the feminists and other "experts" claim that fathers are nonessential at best and abusive animals at worst. I'm happy that I know better.
December 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
This story brought tears to my eyes. We should all be so lucky to know someone like this.
Makes me feel very humble somehow.
December 25th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Pretty damn cool.
December 25th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Stephen, as someone who had a worse than useless father, I have to say that on occasion they have a point. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. However, your post really seemed like someone with an axe to grind. Just enjoy the story, enjoy what's left of the holiday, and try not to be too bitter.
December 25th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Thank you Russell Miller. I'm very new at this MRM business and the fact that feminism is a fraud. This past summer I was totally naive. I still have quite a bit of anger to deal with but I'm coming along.
December 26th, 2007 at 12:28 am
...who benefits from keeping the Americans in matriarchal chaos???
December 26th, 2007 at 2:09 am
The story is something that we can all revel in. This father did his best to make an impact on not only his family but all of the others that he cared so deeply for.
I know growing up that I needed my dad, and as a daughter that suffered atrocities at the hands of another, he was there when it was right. Now, over the years, we have had our strains and struggles, but he was there when it counted.
The men of our country deserve to be and in this day and age NEED to be lifted in spirit and support. REAL Fathers are NOT useless. They are so absolutely needed by sons and daughters alike. True there are men that falter terribly at being a dad (and often you can trace back a history of there being no fathers in the picture often for generations), but there are many out there that truly desire to be the best father that they can be.
Stephen, I am not aware of what has brought you to the MRM and conclusions about feminism. I do not know the circumstances, but can venture a guess. I hope that you are able to process through this and to find your strength and voice to effectively advocate for your needs, rights, and that of any children that need you too. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I, for one, hope for strides toward balance, equality, and restoration of father's rights in 2008. May the pendulum swing back toward center...
December 25th, 2008 at 8:34 am
its the democratic liberals that want to get rid of merry christmas and santa......liberals and feminists..!!!
December 25th, 2008 at 10:42 am
"Stephen, as someone who had a worse than useless father, I have to say that on occasion they have a point. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."
Well, as someone who had a worse than useless father I still don't think they have a point. There is no way good fathers should be impugned due to the actions of a minority. Feminists would only have a legitimate point if fathers were more likely than mothers to be bad parents. No evidence suggests that's true.
December 25th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Stephen, I have to agree that it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that everything was okay until feminism happened.
Feminism is a deeply flawed movement, and it has done a lot more harm than good. But it is certainly not the only thing that has gone wrong in society these past few decades.
December 26th, 2008 at 7:45 am
That's beautiful.