Just Pretending

My Dad likes to joke a lot about Spencer's pretending, but it wasn't until just recently that I realized that Spencer's tendency to pretend was most likely passed down from his Grandpa Ferguson. If you were to ask my Dad, he may pretend this isn't true, but I can prove it.

First, there's the many times he's pretended to be a parole officer. If he sees someone who looks a little rough, he'll walk up to them and say something like "You don't remember me do you? I'm your parole officer." Sometimes this is met with a blank stare. Other times, the person swears they meant to check in with him.

Or there were the many times he's pretended to be FBI or the IRS and tell some poor soul that there's a warrant out for their arrest for some absurd reason. Like the time my brothers friend was driving his truck and had a few other friends in the back. He took a corner too fast and one of the boys flew out of the truck. He was okay, but my Dad called the boy who was driving and told him he needed to come down to the police station because he was being charged with attempted vehicular manslaughter.

Or the time he was at a scout camp and pretended to be a wild animal by growling from his tent so that the other leader wouldn't dare to get out and use the bathroom during the night.

Or the many times he's pretended to be a non member of the church. He'll say things like "Wouldn't it be great if we had prophets on the Earth today like they did in the days of the Old Testament?" He likes to pretend he's that "golden contact" and see how people react.

These are only a sparse number of the things he pretended to be. I could probably write a book on all his pretending, if only I had the time.

He may argue that at least he doesn't dress up. Spencer is dressing up all the time with his pretending. He may not remember that he was wearing a hippie wig the first time he met Jason.

I'll stop there. I think that I have sufficiently proven my point. Spencer's pretending tendencies have been inherited from his Grandpa Ferguson, therefore, I cannot be blamed.

All joking aside, my Dad does have a serious side. He's a great leader and teacher. He is a great example of spirituality. He taught us to have respect for sacred things. He has shown us how much he respects womanhood, the way he treats my Mother and the way he cared for his own Mother before her passing.

Growing up, he often left me notes on my pillow telling me how much he appreciated and loved me. Now, he sends them in the mail or sometimes the e-mail.

Happy Father's Day Dad! I just want you to know how much I love and respect you.

And yes, I realize that this is a week and a half late, but since you're so good at it-just pretend it was on time!