Daddy Day

"Happy is the soul that has something to look backward to with pride, and something to look forward to with hope." -Oliver G. Wilson

I love how God uses even the smallest interactions with people to speak huge volumes of His love. As I was walking out of one of my favorite downtown restaurants a few weeks ago the owner popped up and asked me how I was doing. I returned the question and he practically started jumping up and down with excitement. He exclaimed, “I am having a baby, I am having a son. Oh my goodness have I told you yet? Well, you know what I mean my wife is having the baby... I am going to be a Father.” He barely breathed as he went on and on. “I can't wait to teach him how to play baseball and to throw a football and to fly a kite and ride a bike.”

I interjected here and was like, “Wow you have a lot of big plans already.”

Still smiling he explained, “I didn't have a father so I want to be the best dad ever and do everything I wished my dad had done.” He didn't even give me time to respond and went back to sharing all his plans for what he wanted to do as a daddy as he ushered me out the front door.

I tossed a big “Congratulations”over my shoulder as I exited. The whole interchange was a few short minutes but his words touched me and meant so much. It was like he just popped out his heart and showed it to me and popped it back in, all with a wide smile on his face. There was no pain in his expression as he revealed his motivation (not having a Dad) for why he planned to be the best dad ever. And there must have been past pain concerning this loss yet because of this lack it inspired idyllic ideas of his bright future in fatherhood.

I love observing my own Dad enjoying being an incredible grandfather. The other day he and my mom dashed over to my pool to see their granddaughter's first fun filled pool experience. While we were all smiling away at my little water-baby niece's delight, my dad looked at me and said “It is so great getting to enjoy all these kinds of things, now, as a grandfather.” My father gets up early every Saturday to attend every single one of his ten year old granddaughter's soccer games. He painstakingly videos every one.

As an adult, do I still want my daddy to watch me when I try to do something...do I still want his approval and to make him proud? Yes, I do. And maybe that is something I will never grow out of. It reminds me that my Heavenly Father is always watching. He came to all my track meets. He was there the first time I became a little water baby. And I am still working to make Him proud too and I NEVER want to grow out of that.

I love my Dad.

I respect my Dad so much that I do care more than I would like to admit about his opinion and approval. I remember crying watching some TV show when the Dad told the son he was proud of him. It touched the desire in my heart to hear my own dad say the same thing. Two days later I went out to dinner with my parents and my dad very seriously said over dessert the exact words I had been crying about two days before. He told me he was proud of me.

I love my dad.

I love how smart he is and how when he reads this he will cringe and think “She should have said intelligent and her punctuation is all wrong.” I love how he has always loved my mom with unwavering devotion. I admire his honesty even when it hurts. I love that he goes through stages of passions over some particular health craze or exercise regime. I love how he is always learning and looking for new knowledge. I love: How he thinks Twitter is cool and mundane all at the same time. Thinks Kim Komando is the all knowing eye of Sauron. How he won't get that Lord of the Rings reference because the movie was made after 1980 and he wouldn't read that kind of book. How he only likes trends after they are totally out of style. For instance he would still be wearing the same stonewashed pair of jeans if my mother hadn't taken them away from him.

I especially love:

How he is the best grandfather I have ever laid eyes on. How he shares his knowledge and wisdom with everyone and has never dumbed it down for a child and as a result all his grandchildren are brilliant. How I think he is a great father and I know he is there for me.

The majority of the same can be said as to why I love my Heavenly Father so much. Obviously He probably isn't wearing stonewashed jeans and I am not sure what He might think of Twitter but I do know that He is always there for me. The Lord has always been dead center in the middle of my picture regardless of whether or not I choose to see Him there. He always has been, He is the great “I AM”. How can you not love someone who has always been with you loving every minute, always has your back, tried to teach you big concepts and never dumbed it down.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38

Nothing can stand in the way of our Heavenly Father loving us. Nothing. Nothing we have done, nothing anyone else has done to us, no distance, dark power or even death can keep us from His love.

Lord keep our hearts pure in seeing You as You truly are, let not any earthly ideas mare Your greatness or tarnish Your image as our True Father. Thank you for our lives, thank you for our parentage both earthly and spiritually. Thank you for being our Abba Father. Thank you for always loving us and always being there for us.

Heaven helped me 6/18/09-6/26/09. I have been sitting on this one for a while. Sorry. Late for Father's day.
God bless you,
Love always A*