My Daddy

My life is a fast-paced adventure. My dad says I like to be busy and he also says if I have five free minutes I panic and try to fill them. I don’t know about that, but I do know that I would not be who I am if it wasn’t for my dad.

Me with dad...I couldn't find any pictures of just the two of us, but here's the family at Easter!

I have inherited my dad’s spirit of curiosity and adventure. From the time I was a little girl, my dad would come home from his mail route with stories. He sparked my curiosity with stories about the people he had met, places he had gone, and animals he had seen. But his stories spanned beyond his work. He told about his adventures with the skin tearing insects of Ecuador and the life risking adventures of his childhood at camp. Some of dad’s stories came from the books he was reading. If my dad could have an alternate career, he would be a professional reader. He has shelves and boxes full of books waiting at the house to be read. Instead of reading, after dad got home he worked around the house: plumbing, wiring, painting, constructing, papering, landscaping, gardening, woodworking, and repairing. He was never too busy, though, to talk to me. He would explain what he was doing...how the purple and white goo he was putting on the pipes combined to make a powerful adhesive. How a soldering gun worked. How to grout a floor. And he was never too busy to listen to my stories about my school day, my hobbies, my work, and my friends.

Dad loves learning new things! The latest things are how to dance with mom and how to grow Kiwi trees.

I have never doubted my dad’s love. His love is an old-school committed kind of love as testified to by his 27 years of marriage to my mom. He loves his family by working, providing, listening, and spending time. Some of my favorite memories are trips to the hardware store with my dad where the employees knew him by name, getting shaving cream “Pinocchio noses” while my dad shaved in the morning, listening to my dad reading stories aloud, getting sweet treats and balloons with a note on Valentine’s Day, and talking with him on the phone from college. But my dad’s love is not only shown to his family. My dad invests in friendships, takes time for conversations, and values people like no one else I know.

Dad and Mom at the Balloon Fest last year. :)

Most importantly, my dad has given me an example of another Dad's love. My dad taught has taught me about Abba's love and desire for a relationship since I was a tiny tot. I have a greater vision of the unconditional love of my Heavenly Father because of the love of my dad.

Because of the love of my earthly dad and my Heavenly Father, I do like to stay busy and I am secure enough to experience adventures. When it came time to pick a college, my dad listened to my rationale and supported me. Even though I would be three hours away, he knew it was where the Lord wanted me and he let me go. My sophomore year I believed it was time for me to leave the country to visit Thailand for a few months. My dad prayed for me, took me to the airport, and trusted me to the God who would go with me. 

Safely arrived in Thailand!

Now I am twenty-one and leaving in a few short weeks to begin my life as a teacher in Indiana. My dad is cheering me on and telling stories of his favorite primary teachers. Just today, my dad spent part of his Father’s Day helping me find second grade books at the local book sale. We excitedly compared the titles we found as we filled two boxes. We talked about how an entire class of second graders will be able to travel the world through the books we had found.

Reading to my classroom during student teaching.

How could I not love learning and adventures with a dad like mine? No matter what adventures I go on, I know my daddy will be supporting me, willing to send me, listening to stories from me, and praying constantly for me. So, yes dad, I do like to stay busy…and go on adventures. And thank you because I couldn’t possibly do these things without you. I love you!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!