Don't Mess with Texas.

I didn't know the origin of this phrase.

So...as all twenty-somethings do these days, I googled it. According to Wiki, it was an advertising campaign in the mid 1980s to help reduce littering on Texas highways. Since then it has turned into a cultural phenomenon and "is a frequently cited example of Texan cultural elitism." Funny. I always pictured a group of hicks cowboys sitting around thinking, 'you know, Texas is bigger than all the other states. Don't mess with Texas.' (Being that they were hicks, they didn't really know that Alaska is actually bigger than Texas...but hey, I'm not judging them. I googled it just to make sure.) Or that it had something to do with the Alamo or something.

Don't mess with Texas is kind of how I feel about my dad. My dad is a good person. We are a lot alike, and I think that's why I get so bothered by people's ignorance. God has gifted him with a set of skills and talents that he uses on a regular basis to help others. He is a very capable, talented, loving man who genuinely wants to serve in any way he can. When people take advantage of his kindness, question his motives, or downplay his abilities, it is frustrating. Obviously, he's not perfect. I mean, come on, he grounded me (me!) in high school...but when you doubt someone's abilities or question their motives, it causes them to doubt their self-worth. And that's just not right.

I guess you could say this is part of cultural or family elitism, but either way...I don't have a problem with it.

Don't mess with Texas...or my dad.