A family is formed, not born. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have loving blood family ties, but they are fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who make them feel at home. Cody Shugart, a man from Victoria, Texas, is among those who never met his biological father. Growing up without the guidance of a devoted father, according to Cody, is difficult.
He struggled to overcome the challenges that a boy, a teenager, and an adult face without the support of a father. Fortunately for Cody, he grew up surrounded by respectable, kindhearted men who didn’t mind playing the role of father figure to him. Years later, the young and inexperienced Cody matured into a decent man and married the woman of his dreams. He soon found himself caring for his own son.
When he reflected on his childhood, he realized how important it was for young Cody to be surrounded by kind neighbors who became his father figure. Cody couldn’t forget Mr. Milton West, the man he affectionately called Mr.Chip, out of all the men who willingly became his father. As a result, Cody found himself introducing his favorite father to his son, Bob Wayne.
Cody snapped a photo of his adorable son, Bob, sitting on Mr. Chip’s lap. Cody shared the photo online because he adored it and the memories it evoked. Within minutes, it had received thousands of likes and shares, quickly becoming viral! It’s no surprise that thousands of hearts melted when they saw Bob, a white and blonde baby, with Mr. Chip, an African American.
It’s refreshing to see a picture with a powerful timeless message in a time and place where people are divided by racial issues, sexism, and discrimination. Cody added a heartfelt message to the picture he posted on Facebook to make it even more meaningful. And the caption says: “So many people like this picture. So I wanted to take a moment to tell you my story. My childhood next-door neighbor was Milton West. Mr. Chip was his name.
He left DOW Chemical as an operator. Since I was two years old, he has always been there for me. Growing up without a father was never easy for me. But the Lord surrounded me with great men, one of whom was Mr. Chip. He constantly preached the importance of education, taught me how to care for a yard, taught me to see people for who they are rather than what they look like, taught me to treat my mother like a saint, and taught me many other life lessons.
His contributions to my development as a good son, man, and father were enormous.” “I will be eternally grateful to God for bringing him into my life.” Cody expressed his admiration for the responsible and hardworking Mr. Chip.”My wife and I had a son named Bob Wayne Shugart this past May.” Mr. Chip and his wife Shirley fell in love with him the moment they saw him. They babysit him on occasion, and we pay visits when we can.”
“Mr. Chip said the last time we were over there that he wants to be called ‘POP.'” He claims it’s his grandson. So we had to think of a name for his wife. “We chose Lolli!!!!” “So we inform Bob Wayne that we are going to see Lolli Pop!!!” I’m thankful that Lolli and Pop will be in my son’s life. If he learns half as much as I did from Mr. Chip, he will be a wonderful son, man, and father.” Cody went on to say that he knows his son Bob will be a great man with Mr. Chip by his side!
According to statistics, one out of every three children grows up without any help or support from their biological father. Cody, sadly, is one of these heartbreaking statistics. However, his story is not entirely depressing because he met truly wonderful people like Mr. Chip. demonstrating to the world that a family knows no blood tie, skin color, or age. A family is sometimes just a group of people who make you feel at ease.