He's My Dad!

By Karen Lynn Vidra Richard Sandusky, one of the teenagers in the Sandusky clan, writes about his father, William, and why he is so special to him.
My dad is a very amazing man.

He is only in his mid to later 30's, but he doesn't get around as well as a lot of men his age. He is physically handicapped, and he uses crutches to walk and is often in a lot of pain because he has a bad back, and he also has arthritis. He also has asthma and sometimes has trouble with his breathing. In addition, he is on medication for high blood pressure and depression; when he isn't on his medication, he is a totally different person, but when he IS on his meds, he is very pleasant and fun to be with.

My dad is also very tall. He is nearly 7' tall, being 6' 9 1/2" tall; and he is a twin. He also has seven more brothers BESIDES his twin, and he is the third youngest of his brothers. (There are nine in his family alone.) He is the tallest out of all his brothers. He was born in North Carolina, in the city of Hendersonville, and he lived there until he was a teen, when he moved to Louisiana for a time. He met mom there (see below), and after the death of their third child was when they moved to Tennessee, where they still live. They live in Nashville, Tennessee.

My dad met mom at a Cajun place when they were teenagers, but it wasn't until after the birth of their first child (a boy) when they got married. My mom's name is Louisiana, and she is short, and it looks funny when mom and dad are standing next to each other! The differences in their height is incredible, and it is because of this that my parents get a lot of stares from people!

They ended up having three kids, but I am sad to say all died. Two died while they were still babies; and I never got to know them because I didn't come to the family until I was over the age of six. (I am adopted; and mom and dad adopted a whole bunch of kids, mostly disabled. I am one of their kids. I have a trache and have a tube in my throat to breathe, and I also have emotional problems due to past abuse, but I am glad to say I am slowly getting better.)

Dad works now, but for a while he wasn't. He had a lot of trouble finding a job because he is disabled; but then he went to Wal*Mart, and he got hired in as a greeter. He is doing very well at his job, and he loves meeting the people that come into the store. Dad has proven to be a very hard and dedicated worker, even with all his physical problems, and he is such an inspiration to his co-workers. He's been at Wal*Mart for over a year; it will be two years in Feburary when he got hired at Wal*Mart.

My dad is fair when it comes to disciplining us kids; but at times he can get strict. But he IS fair, and he lets us kids know that if we screw up, we CAN expect to get punished..and we DO. Still, he isn't a tyrant about it, and he lets us know that he loves and cares for us; this is why we get disciplined.

My dad is also very religious. He goes to church every Sunday, and we go with him. We go to a Pentecostal Church, Christ Community Assembly of God, and we like going to church every week. I am not saved yet, but it probably won't be long before I am. I have wanted to go up to the front of the alter, but I have been too chicken to do it. It makes me uncomfortable thinking of going in front of people and confessing my sins. Maybe one of these days I'll do it, but right now I haven't. My dad teaches us about the Bible, and every Sunday, before church, we have prayer and devotion time, and then we go out to the Golden Corral for breakfast; we then go to church. This is a weekly thing in our family, and I am used to it.

Dad is an okay guy, but at times I wish he were more like most dads. He can't get out or play ball with us when we'd like because he is on crutches and he is often in pain; still, he tries to make up for his disabilities by cooking for us kids (he is a GREAT cook!), and he also loves to take us kids to the zoo, or to OpryMills or to concerts on the weekends; and he has taken us on some really great vacations. We have seen a lot of America during our travels, and we enjoy our family vacations very much.

I am so lucky to have been adopted by a great guy; and I am lucky to be loved and accepted. I wish more kids could have the family I do because in my family, love, faith, and hope are commonplace, and a guy like me can get used to that! After all the abuse and sh*t I have had to put up with in my early years, I can USE some family love and togetherness, and I can use some good religious experiences and hope for my life!