Sam A. Thomas

‎20 years ago today I said goodbye and hugged my father one last time. I've missed him every single day. Thanks to Amy Boone for this wonderful quote by Andy Raine from Common Prayer..."Do not hurry as you walk with grief; it does not help the journey. Walk slowly, pausing often; do not hurry as you walk with grief. Be not disturbed by memories that come unbidden. Swiftly forgive; and let Christ speak for you unspoken words. Unfinished conversation will be resolved in Him. Be not disturbed. Be gentle with the one who walks with grief. If it is you, be gentle with yourself. Swiftly forgive; walk slowly, pausing often. Take time, be gentle as you walk with grief."

I wanted to share this in honor of my dad. I love this because of Sheryl's voice singing and thinking about how much Dad would have LOVED hearing her. And I love the end of this slide show seeing the heritage of faithfulness passed down and having our own "Sam Thomas" who brings joy to my life every day. We all miss you, Dad! I only wish I could see what you see and hear what you hear in that great cloud of witnesses. Someday!

Sam Thomas Elementary

We were so very honored by the Abilene Newspaper doing a front page article on my dad and our family returning to Texas and being a part of Sam Thomas Elementary. What a treasure for us to keep, always! I absolutely loved the pic of Sheryl and Sam too.

To read the story...go here-- Abilene Reporter News

Sam's Christmas Program at Otter Creek Kindergarten

I'm finally trying to catch up on some blog entries here....Sam had his Christmas program last week. It was so sweet!

"You better watch out, you better not cry...."

"Up on the housetop...click, click, click..."

"Follow the star to Bethlehemmmmmm...."

My mom and the girls (Sam's term for them is "my girls") all loved the program!

Tribute To My Dad

I enjoyed making this. The beautiful voice you'll hear is my wife, Sheryl. I hope you enjoy watching!

My Dad...Still In Our Hearts!

This week marks 19 years since my dad died. I was at ACU as a college student at the time. It was incredibly difficult. There are still days 19 years later when the sadness is palpable. But, as anyone knows who has experienced loss, time helps in ways that nothing else really can. We miss him every day. He was such a fun dad and a great man.

A couple of weeks ago Sheryl was cleaning some things out and found a letter that my father wrote to me the day I left for college. It had been several years since I had read it. I sat and cried tears of joy as I read the words my dad wanted to communicate to me. I had almost forgotten the way he worded things...his style, his inflection, his openness...even seeing his handwriting. It was one of the best gifts I've gotten in a long time.

In honor of this anniversary, I wanted to share this with you...copied just as he wrote it. This will give you a glimpse into the man he was and the incredible heart he had. I am blessed! I have never published this letter. There's a part of me that wasn't sure if I should. But, Sheryl encouraged me to share it in honor of him. This is really meaningful to me and a treasure to my heart. I'm sharing it here to celebrate my dad and his legacy.

Dear Brandon,
You left today on the first leg of leaving home.You can't imagine the void I've felt all day and thought I had prepared myself for this moment--but now I find I'm overcome with a flood of memories. I'm exhausted from the constant flashbacks that have gone on in my head all day long. I'll make it through this adjustment time, but I ain't doing so well today. I'm surprised at my reaction, cause I've listened to many of my friends talk about their experiences with the empty nest syndrome and I've always been able to encourage them with the right things to say--and, now, today, the right words aren't there for me. For the first time I was able to understand the tears in my mother's eyes when I left home. It's a feeling you can't know until you experience it.

After you left this morning, we came home and tried to stay busy. I worked in the yard, but couldn't get in the mood to really work. I cut down the flowers under your window that had been damaged by hail--but kept thinking how much you liked the flowers and how you used to cut them and put them on the graves of our pets. Then I cut off the long rose stems and thought about how you liked for me to do that so they wouldn't scratch across your window at night.

I went around to the back yard then, and suddenly the little mound out toward the camper flashed a memory of your sand box--Do you know there is still sand under that mound?? I stood looking at it and then up in the mulberry tree where I could see a few boards left from the tree house we made. Remember sleeping up there one night?

I walked on back to the barn and inside I could see your go-cart and bicycle. In back of the barn there stands your old swing set, and Tiger's cart (my horse). I'm seeing all of this through misty eyes--I haven't been brave about this at all. Walking back to the house, the dogs barked and I thought again of all your pets and the names you gave them. Paisley, for a dog, has got to be the craziest name for a dog I have ever heard--and now, suddenly, it's beautiful.

So much for the yard. Right now I may never work in it again!!! I can hardly bear to look at the gazebo--I'll have to take it down soon and that will be a sad job.

I came in the house then and told Mom I'd help her change the bedroom furniture around. That turned out to be an all morning-plus-effort. After several trial layouts, we finally decided on one that'll be a little different. At least, the room got a good cleaning.

We stopped in time to go to Kristie Conder's wedding at Minter Lane. She married a Mike Jones. The wedding was really pretty. The singers were Harold and Jeannette Lipford, Ray and Kay McGlothlin, Burl and Jan McCoy. I kept thinking about you singing "Daddy's Hands" at Robyn's wedding.

I left the wedding and took Christie Rogers a book I had bought for her. She is doing well--looks better, but still can't talk. She is taking food by a straw. They all asked about you.

Next, I got a haircut and came home. It's still bad around here. The apricots don't taste quite as good now, and the house is awfully quiet. It'll take a while to get use to it--I'm already looking forward to you being at ACU and getting to go to the productions you'll be in. I'm very proud of you and I'm really glad you're getting to see the country this summer. It's a terrific opportunity. I wrote all of this down so that you'd know how your dad felt on the day you left. This has been a very long day and it's just 5:25pm now.

We're going with Dave and Ann to the Paramount tonight to see "Fountainhead". That'll help pass the evening away. I'll miss you in your spot at church in the morning, and at lunch when we go out to eat.

I'm not writing this to make you feel bad because this is a natural experience that all parents go through. It's just a chronicle of life and I wanted to share it with you.

God bless you!
Love,
Dad

PS: The show was pretty good. I'll miss going in and turning on your lamp in your bedroom tonight

You can probably see why this has become such a treasure to me over the years. I am pretty sure my dad knew how much it would mean to me...he knew the power of written and spoken blessing. He knew that words have power. He had the gift of expression and it affected many people around him. Here are a few pictures to celebrate my dad...

There is a school bearing his name in Abilene, TX. It's a wonderful place!

my parents on their 25th wedding anniversary



My buddy, David, and I posed recently in front of Sam Thomas Elementary



My dad



A Snowy Day by Sam Thomas--my dad was an amazing artist!

Dad, you are missed! Weekly, our kids refer to you and ask questions about their "Poppy". I wish you were here with us. Thank you for the years of memories you left with me and the heritage of love and faithfulness to our Father. When I think of the "great cloud of witnesses" as referred to in Hebrews...I think of you. I love you and miss you.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Today would have been my father's 77th birthday. My dad died 19 years ago last fall. His presence is still missed every single day. He was great at celebrating! His sense of humor, his warmth, and his authenticity made him a great dad, husband, elder, and principal.

Happy birthday, dad! We celebrate God's creation in you that left such a lasting impact.

Perfect Fall Day

This morning we slept in a little and ended up hitting the 11am service at Fellowship. It's so great to actually have a Sunday morning where you're not rushed and show up to worship with your wits about you. :)

Ronnie Freeman had lost his voice but the worship team carried on while he played keys. We sang several of my favorites including "No Sweeter Name" and "Desert Song". I am so glad we put those on the new ZOE CD. (speaking of...I'd love to hear from you guys...how do you like the new CD??)

After church we went to my mom's for lunch. The Langfords (some friends from Texas) were visiting and we had a nice time of catching up on life. The kids love going to my mom's. It's such a HUGE blessing. The role of grandparents cannot be emphasized enough!

This afternoon, Maddie, Ella, Sam and I played football in the back yard. It was a sunny, but crisp fall day. The leaves crunched under our feet. Our noses ran. It was perfect. We even built a little bonfire and roasted some marshmallows.

We ended our Sunday night as we often do...by watching Extreme Home Makeover. Our kids love that show. As they commented tonight during commercials, it struck me...this is also teaching them the way of Christ. The whole act of helping those in need is certainly not lost on them.

Last week marked 18 years since the death of my dad. Many of you knew him or have heard stories about him. He was something. My kids often say, "I can't wait to meet Poppy someday." I hope they can. He was a great man and a great influence on many. And...he did a lot of it through humor.

I'll close with an excerpt from my mom's blog. I had completely forgotten this story and it made me laugh out loud. This was my dad...

Eighteen years ago last night just before midnight, a large group of people, Brandon and I were sitting on the fifth floor of Hendrick Memorial Hospital listening to the last breath of my husband Sam. He had fought a valiant 8year fight with prostate cancer, and it had won.

Although the mood was somber, we couldn't help but tell some Sam Thomas stories. Sam was a notorious prankster. After he became a principal, there was the story about his interview with a prospective, newly graduated teacher. Seems she had slipped her shoes off during the interview, and he had somehow maneuvered to get them under his desk. When the interview was over, the woman realized she couldn't find her shoes. She was embarrassed to ask, so just started walking toward the door barefoot, until Sam confessed and rescued her. She got the job.

His favorite thing to do was to put plastic bugs or snakes in the mail boxes of unsuspecting teachers (it didn't take long for them to catch on). The teachers could always look for candy in their mailboxes on Monday and many times there would be a personal note of encouragement, as well.

He loved stealing lunches of his teaching buddies and putting paper in the sandwich and then returning the lunch to its proper place. If we had guests for dinner, a large ugly plastic fly would find its way to the bottom of the ice tea glass, or a plastic piece of cheese would be placed among the other pieces. I couldn't do much about his propensity for fun--I loved it.

Even after all these years, I miss his sense of fun and his warmth. Love you, Sam!

Yes, love you, Dad!