Braggin' on My Dad

My dad reached a huge milestone. As of yesterday, he has practiced medicine here in his current office for forty years. FORTY YEARS! That's a long time--seven years longer than I've even been alive, to be exact! What a rarity to find someone who has worked in the same place in the same field for that long, and what a rarity to find someone who loves his job as much as my dad loves his. (Not that the paperwork and the insurance companies and the government regulations don't occasionally drive him nuts because they do...but overall, he really truly loves his profession, especially the opportunity to help people.)

In honor of the occasion, Dad threw a party for his office staff; and some of us family members got to come, too. Isn't that a little backwards though? Shouldn't we have been throwing the party for him? :)

Regardless, it was a splendid evening. First of all, it was held in this beautiful log home that, for years, I have wanted to see inside; I would walk or drive past and wish that I had an excuse to enter. :)

(Just an aside...log homes are my absolute favorite, no question about it. Someday, I would dearly love to have a little log cabin in the woods. Maybe I'll get it here on earth, maybe not. Maybe Jesus is preparing a log home for me in heaven!)

Second, the girl in the black dress in the above photo is a reporter for the Shenandoah Journal, and she is writing an article on my dad so she stopped by at the beginning of the evening. I am looking forward with much anticipation to seeing the article come out in the paper! :)

Third, the food was so good. Simply delicious!!! This home belongs to an Old Order Mennonite lady; and her husband--now deceased--built it. To support herself, she hosts these dinner parties; and wow, if you ever want good food and a great atmosphere, this is the place to go. I was amazed that she could cook and serve the abundance of food--and do it all by herself.

Fourth, everybody was so friendly! There was much laughter and pleasant conversation, and it was obvious throughout the evening that a fantastic dynamic exists between the staff in my dad's practice.

Fifth, my dad gave an overview of the history of his Hinton practice; and it was truly interesting. To be honest, I thought it might be a little boring. :) But I found myself fascinated by it and wishing to hear more when it was all over. After forty years of doing medicine in our small community, you can imagine the kind of stories he has!

Sixth, I took Shav with me while Jeff and his mom stayed home with the other three boys. Shav was a perfect little angel; he slept and slept, only waking to eat before sleeping some more. My sister and my aunt both got to hold him, and Shav also got plenty of attention and admiration from the other female guests. We women love to "oo" and "ah" over sweet little babies!

Of course, we had to take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Here I am with my sister...

Here is my dad with his staff (current and former)...his original two nurses who started work with him back in 1969 were able to come which was a treat.

A family picture with my parents, my sister, my little love bug Shav, and my aunt and uncle...my aunt actually worked for my dad for a few months a very long time ago before she and my uncle moved away for my uncle to attend medical school.

My dad with his "baby brother" Rufus...both of them are doctors, and my uncle only has nine more years to go until he reaches the milestone of forty years in practice! These Huffman doctors are well-known and much-appreciated in our neck of the woods!

Congratulations, Dad! I am so very proud of you!!!