By Leonard Gray-Staff Reporter

First of all, I’m not a daddy. I’m not even a father. There is a vital, important difference. Most any man can be a father, providing his half of the genetic structure of a child. It takes a special kind of man to be a daddy.

With that said, one might wonder what of any value I might have to say about Father’s Day. There most certainly is something I can say. I was blessed with having a daddy.

Certainly, I have a father. He provided for me and nurtured me, as a good daddy should, through those tender, toddler years until my parents parted when I was 6 years old.

From that point, he struggled, trying to manage with a precocious little Lenny, as well as my two older brothers. He managed, but it was finally decided I needed more, much more than he was able to provide.

Therefore, I came to Louisiana, to be raised by his sister and her husband, my aunt and uncle, who still live in Luling.

Now, think of that situation. They already had two children of their own. I was a newcomer to the family. But Uncle Lawrence now had the responsibility of providing for me as a daddy. It must have not been easy, since I was not his blood relative. I was dropped , as it were, on him when I was already 8 years old, bringing my own emotional baggage and behavior patterns and ways of doing things he had to learn to handle.

But he was a daddy, proven by how he raised his own two sons, both of whom were excellent daddies to their own children. My cousin, Marty, raised three beautiful daughters, all of them moral people with excellent reputations and strong character. They all excelled scholastically and are a credit to the family. My late cousin, Mason, raised two sons, both of whom are the same way – excellent in mind and heart and spirit.

As it worked out, I don’t have any children but if I had, I hope I would have used the example of my uncle, Lawrence Owens of Luling, as a guide and example to raising my own children.

Many children do not have daddies. I was blessed with an excellent one, who kept my head straight and out of trouble. Happy Father’s Day!

LEONARD GRAY is assistant managing editor of L’Observateur. Call him at 652-9545.