My Fathers in heaven have richly provided for all that I have

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“All that I have Thy hand hath provided; great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto to me.”


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My dad and me at Bethany Beach in Delaware, where he retired.

So goes the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” by Thomas Chisholm, learned in my youth.  It reminds me that I’m lucky I have three fathers in heaven: Our Almighty Father; my dad, Ben; and my father-in-law, Herb. Without all three I don’t exist, and all of them were part of the Almighty’s plan for me.

I have so much to be thankful for, much more than I deserve. Ben wasn’t able to leave much material when he passed, his widow Carole (my mom) needed to be cared for and his eight children would assist as best they could. My parents in a long line of Catholics before them, had eight children before they were 30. They were blue-collar types and worked hard to provide. Ben left behind more than material things, and what he left me would serve me much more.

They say it’s better to teach a man to fish than give him fish. My dad taught us all to work for what we wanted and to work for our families. Our family had to learn, like Paul from the Bible, how to be satisfied with little as well as abundance. But it was my father-in-law Herb Mandel who would build on Ben’s work to create the man that I am today.

I feel so grateful to Herb, almost as much as I do to God.  Herb and his wife Ann had only two children later in life, after being highly educated. Without the Mandels my family would be very different. With their daughter Carol as my wife, I have all that I’ve ever needed.  Pop Mandel blessed me repeatedly in life, and even more in his passing.

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Me and Pop Mandel, at the Bristol, PA, wharf overlooking the Delaware River.

Just like Ben, he worked hard until the end of his life. Pop was a terrific role model and nearly impossible for me to follow. His generosity and careful responsibility to my family is only rivaled by our Lord in heaven. I could never thank Pop enough for so many blessings, too many to name. All that I have comes from these three fathers, and all have worked together in concert. My father in heaven isn’t nearly finished yet but, He gave me a foundation on which to build something great.

I could most certainly go on and on; I’ve recognized a man’s responsibility and opportunity to be a blessing by considering these three fathers. I’m about as lucky a person as any person could hope for, and it all started with an invitation to join God’s family when I was a young teen. My Father in heaven did not hold back even His own son in order to provide a new life for me that started as soon as I asked. I believe all people have been blessed by the life and death of Jesus, and I also believe we all must be thankful to Our Father and his Son, for all that we have, and all that we are.


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Jim Robidoux is father of four, lives and works in Manchester, and writes about life in The Life Section – specifically, his own. He enjoys bicycling to work, urban gardening, exploring his Christian faith, and watching the Phillies at Billy’s. And he happens to be married to Manchester Ink Link editor Carol Robidoux.

About this Author

Jim Robidoux

Click here for more posts in Pop’s Art: The Bible Illustrated.   Jim Robidoux works in precision sheet metal, is father of four and husband of Manchester Ink Link publisher Carol Robidoux. He enjoys smoking cigars, pondering life’s big questions, and roots for all his home teams, whether they’re from Philly or Boston. He looks forward to receiving fan mail at jrmetalman@comcas.net.