Rev Bill

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

If there ever was a man who understood and lived by this verse of scripture, it was my Dad, Billy Drennan Hayes. He died 4 years ago today at the age of 81.
In his lifetime Dad was a bomber pilot in World War II; a state representative from York County, SC; a member of the South Carolina Highway Commission; a municipal court judge for the city of Rock Hill, SC; an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Rock Hil, SC; an active member of many civic clubs and organizations; a lawyer who was later honored by having his name entered in a book listing the most prominent attorneys in the state of South Carolina; and a great friend to many. He was a loving, caring father to my sisters and me, a loving and caring husband to Mom, a loving son to his mother and devoted brother to his brothers.
More than all these things, he was a great Christian.
He was motivated by his faith to be the loving, caring person that he was. He understood that faith in God and love for others were the important things in life. I blogged a few weeks ago about Dad having to uphold the South Carolina law when students had sit ins in Rock Hill — but then worked to change that law. That’s the kind of person Dad was – - working to do what he felt was right and good.
I learned a lot of things from Dad.
As I look back on it, I see that the most important thing I learned was how to love.
How to love God — and let my faith in God shape my life.
How to love others — and let my love for others motivate me to act in loving ways towards all.
Dad — I only hope I can "pay tribute" to you every day — and be more like you. I look a lot like you — the balder I get and grayer I get the more I resemble you. That’s a good thing. I can only hope I can resemble you in actions as well as looks! Yea — Dad understood what it meant to act justly and love mercy — and walk humbly with God.                                                                                                                                                     Until next time — Shalom!  Bill

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