Ok, ok, ok, I admit it. I am a HUGE fan of the A&E
reality show Duck Dynasty. I try to tune in as often as it is on TV (yes, I
watch the marathons over and over again…..not too ashamed to admit it, either)
and this morning, I was pleasantly surprised as I walked into Hackman’s Bible
Book Store to see a Duck Commander display right as you walk into the store! I was in serious Duck Dynasty heaven as I
stood there looking at all the merchandise, giddy as can be!!! I couldn’t help
but purchase a sticker for my car and make a serious wish list of shirts and
other goodies to add to my obsession, and then I got to thinking, what is it
that makes this West Monroe, LA, religious, successful, bearded family so
intriguing?
I remember when the show first came on the air. I was very
anti-DD. There was no way on God’s green earth or beyond that you would catch
me watching that show. No way. No how. I’ll even admit that I looked down upon
people who did. I felt that it was beneath my intelligence to watch a show
about bearded guys making duck calls. My brothers, cousins, and father
absolutely loved the show, and they would reference it all the time, which in
turn would irritate me so badly. I’d question how they could lower their
standards and watch such a thing. Sadly, because of that mindset, I missed a
few good seasons of a very good show!!! During a conversation at work one day,
a co-worker of mine challenged me. He asked me to seriously sit and watch the
show, because he felt I’d be pleasantly surprised by the content. Reluctantly,
I agreed to his challenge. I told him I would watch with an open mind and upon
our return from the little break we were on, I’d give him my honest review. All
it took was one sitting. One little episode and I was hooked. I immediately
scanned the channel guide to see how much more Duck Dynasty I could watch that
day!
After my daughter and I left the Bible Book Store today, I
immediately turned my thoughts to Think Thankfully and knew I wanted to blog
about the Robertson’s and their duck dynasty. I’ve read The Duck Commander
Family: How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty and also Happy, Happy,
Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander. Both of these books gives
readers the most intimate of glimpses into the Robertson Family, a family that
has built its dreams from the ground up by staying true to themselves and their
ideals. There is a lot to be learned from the Robertson’s and Duck Dynasty. In mostly all areas of their lives, the Robertson's live with thankful hearts, grateful for all they have, even on not so great days or in not so great moments.
It would be easy to watch the show and think the Robertson
family life has always been lucrative, happy, and centered on their faith in
their Lord. But that was not always the case. Patriarch of the family, Phil
Robertson has not always led a Godly life. By his own admissions, he was not a
wonderfully loving person to live with. Being with Ms. Kay since she was 16
years old, they have seen their share of hard times, mostly due to Phil’s wild
ways in his youth. Once realizing he needed to change, Phil began to devote
himself to serving the Lord and became a true testament to the idea that The
Lord provides. And provides he does. Everyone deserves a second chance, no
matter how wild their ways have become or how far off the path they have
strayed.
Phil and Kay have raised their four sons with an amazingly
strong set of values. They follow a relatively old fashioned view of marriage;
the male being the provider while the female does the housekeeping, child
rearing, and cooking. Phil and Kay showcase Ms. Kay’s cooking skills regularly
on the show, most of the food she makes being something Phil has killed. We’ve
all seen episodes where Phil is killing squirrels or ducks, or catching frogs
and taking them home for Ms. Kay to turn into something tasty. My generation is
not used to this way of living. Most of us grew up with BOTH parents working,
sharing all the responsibilities in the home. We love the convenience of going
to the grocery store, buying all our foods prepackaged, or hitting up fast food
joints for the quick meal fix. Perhaps if we all modeled the old fashioned way
of living, we’d appreciate more of what we have in this life!
As I sit and think about the show, I think one of the most
inspiring things for me is that at the end of each episode, we see the entire
Robertson clan seated around a huge table, praying together and enjoying a meal
together. The sound bites of Willie, giving us the moral of the story kind of
narrative ending seems to pull everything together and gives us the
‘ahhhhhhhhhhhhh’ feeling as the show goes off air. We were recently in
attendance at a fantastic little birthday party for my parents’ little neighbor
girl. I was pleasantly surprised that they asked that we all bow our heads in prayer
before the food was brought out for consumption. It was a great reminder of
just how good our Lord is and how we should be more thankful for the little
things in our lives. There is a considerable power to prayer and it is nice
that the Robertson’s aren’t afraid to show that.
The Robertson clan isn’t afraid to sport their long beards
and hair, camouflage, and ‘redneck’ ways of life either. Most of the time, we
see men sporting those long beards, with long hair, wearing camo and we
instantly want to tell some redneck joke. We tend to shy away from the somewhat
unkempt look they have, however, Duck Dynasty has completely shown viewers that
there is more to people than their appearances, much like there is more to a
book than its cover. We are a society of people who judge one another on a
daily basis. I always get a chuckle out of the episode in which Jase gets in
trouble from the HOA of his development for burning leaves, raising chickens in
his yard, and, as we find out in the episode,
skinning a deer in the driveway (in front of a school bus full of
children no less!). He is judged for being true to who he is. He was raised to
hunt and kill not for sport but for the food it provides. This doesn’t make him
a bad person. When he realizes he signed the contract stating he couldn’t do
that in his development, his hands get thrown into the air and he concedes.
And lastly, there is Uncle Si. No episode of Duck Dynasty
would be complete without the ramblings of crazy Uncle Si. A Vietnam vet and
Phil’s younger brother, Uncle Si provides the humor factor in the show, episode
by episode, with his strange ways to get his point across, his utilization of
incorrect clichés, and his jug of sweet tea always attached to his hip. It’s
like his American Express….he doesn’t leave home without it! I think everyone
has someone in their family they can call, the Uncle Si of the family. Crazy,
kooky, and sometimes slightly creepy, Uncle Si has made his way into the hearts
of many DD fans, and that’s a fact, Jack! Hey! He says what’s on his mind,
doesn’t care who he might offend, and provides countless hours of laughter,
even after the episode is over!
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