Happy Father’s Day! In honoring my own wonderful Daddy, I want to share with you the things he’s given me in my life – so far.
– My blue eyes.
– My love of history. We like to bore the rest of the family to tears discussing historical events & religion. It’s awesome. Family dinners are a blast (well, not so much for the non-history lovers).
– A sense of duty- my dad served our country in the Army for over 20 years.
– A sense of patriotism. He loves this country more than anyone I know, and still gets choked up when he talks about those who’ve sacrificed their lives serving it.
– A wicked sense of humor. At first glance, he appears to be a quiet, reserved man, but he has the most hilarious sense of humor that appears when one least expects it. I’ll never forget one particular night (maybe 15 years ago or more) when he made me laugh until I cried. “Thank you, Air Force.” He’s made me laugh until I’ve cried a lot of times since.
– Driving lessons. With white knuckles and a sweating brow, he taught me to drive. I still hear his voice in my head when I’m on the road- he’s usually telling me that I’m following too closely.
– Security- I used to hate it when I was a kid and he’d walk with his hand on the back of my neck. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that there are a bazillion security risks you take with your kids daily, and I now often walk with my hand on the back of my son’s neck.
– Integrity- my daddy has more integrity in his little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. He taught me that doing the right thing is more important than being right.
– A love of fishing.
– How to pray- my daddy uses every opportunity to pray for those whom he loves. It’s inspiring.
– The love of our Savior- he has always been a great example of Christ’s unconditional love. What a blessing to me and to my own children.
– Car maintenance. My daddy takes exceptional care of his vehicles. I’m embarrassed when he sees the inside of my car trashed out.
– A sense of service. My daddy is the kind of man who will drop whatever he’s doing and help you with anything. Whether it’s changing a tire or giving you the shirt off his back, he’s always willing to help.
– Faith- throughout many ups and downs in his life, never once has my dad doubted the love and faithfulness of the God he serves wholeheartedly.
Daddy, you’ve taught me many other things, and I’m certain that I’ll learn even more from you. Thank you for being a wonderful father and grandfather. I love you so much. And thank you for letting me use your chest as a table for my tea parties when I was little.
Readers- what lessons have you learned from your father or what special memories do you have with your dad?
Hale and Hearty Words 