A Tribute to my Dad

Dad, I was a slug (or at least didn't plan ahead) and did not send you a card this past Father's Day, so this will have to serve as your card. :-)

My dad ranks right up there as my number two hero (right behind my hubby). I wish all my blog readers could know my dad! He was a very hard worker, working hard to provide for his family, and though he is retired now he still has a great work ethic and loves to help others. He is very good with his hands, can fix just about anything, has such a generous spirit, and is kind and gentle. Whenever he and my mom would come and visit after we'd had a baby, he would hold and burp the new little person with such tenderness, and even change diapers!

However tired and sometimes overworked my dad was while I was young (which now I can totally relate to of course!!) I always knew that he adored his family, and he still does. Family has always been really important to my dad, and that is one of the many things I love about him. I looked for a man that shared that same value, and I found it in my hubby. My dad spent time with his girls, teaching me how to throw a football, and teaching us all how to fish. He made family vacations a high priority, and though we never had what might be considered fancy shmancy trips, we had some pretty awesome camping vacations and driving trips to visit relatives which still rank among my most special memories.

Which of us girls will ever forget the vacation where we camped in the redwoods with our cousins, holding back each other's pigtails while we brushed our teeth at a water spigot outside, and watching cousin Jim tend the fire all day long? Or the many times we camped at our beloved Fort Casey, listening to the waves crash against the shore and log walking all the way down the beach? Or the goodnight song we sang each night in the dark right before falling asleep? I have a funny memory of myself during my "summer of the belt", where I wore a beaded Indian belt every.single.day and saluted in every picture. I don't remember why, but I sure did love that belt!

My mom was the glue for our family, but my dad was the foundation. They worked very well together, each with their unique roles, to build a family where each member loved the others and all loved God. How grateful I am for that legacy! I do recall a few of the more memorable squabbles I had with my sisters, and one time when I went to my room and swore at my mom in private when I was mad at her (sorry mom!), and I am sure there were the usual marital disagreements that I was not privy to at the time. But mostly I remember the fun we had together, the ways they discipled us, the times we served together, and the times we were there for each other. I am so thankful for all the times they discussed parenting issues together, and prayed together for us, their family. It is a wonderful model for me and my hubby to follow now with our own family.

I have not asked my dad for permission, but I know he wouldn't mind if I shared one of my favorite memories of him. It's one of my favorite memories because it illustrates a man not too proud to say I'm sorry. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I was less than 10. My dad stayed home from church one Sunday to watch an important football game, while mom and us 3 girls went to the worship service as was our usual custom. I don't remember my mom being livid, although she may have been. I'm not even sure I would remember that my dad stayed home one time, except that when we got home he was a broken man. The tv was off, he had obviously been crying, and sat us down right away and apologized for setting such a poor example of a spiritual leader, and begged for our forgiveness.

WOW! That stands out brightly in my memory. Probably more than anything else God used that one incident to show me, through my dad, the importance of worshipping God as part of the church body, and the value God places on His children coming together to worship Him. It also showed me that parents were not above wronging their children, and that far from minimizing his authority in our eyes, asking forgiveness only served to re-establish that authority, and to elevate the level of respect we had for our dad. Something that has been good to remember when I have had to ask forgiveness of my children!

Dad, thank you for being the man that you are. Thank you for your years of sacrifice and hard work for your family. Thank you for loving us in tangible ways, for helping to create such wonderful memories for us all, and for loving and living for God in front of us. I love that you are a man of your word, and that you are a man of God's Word. I love you dearly.