Dad with his GrandBoys -- it will be interesting to throw a little pink into the mix!
Time brings perspective. Growing older isn't getting new eyes -- it is seeing with better clarity with the eyes we've always had.
I've been getting older every day and inevitably, Dad, so have you. It's the unfair reality that time marches on, and we have our birthdays to prove that :)
All that I am, I owe to you and the Mother you chose for your children. There is so much about me that I didn't recognize as strength until I was able to see more clearly, and as I was able to see more clearly, I could recognize that the strength came from you. You set the pattern and example for me to follow long before I even knew I was following.
What Mom taught me about zeal and energy and passion and spirit, you tempered as you taught humility and gentleness and quiet strength and dedication. What Mom encouraged of creativity, you supported with consistency.
And in your seemingly opposite personalities, the two of you have taught me about marriage and complement and love -- and what our Father in Heaven intends for His children to learn through their relationships. I know my own marriage is stronger because you make the effort to strengthen yours.
I don't know what I did to be blessed to be your daughter, Dad, but I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for the opportunity to be yours. I fear I'll spend the rest of my days trying to prove worthy of that great gift, but I'm willing to try, because having you as my father has been one of the supreme blessings of my life. I'm sorry that I haven't always seen you with the clarity that a little maturity brings, and I know that I haven't been as grateful as I should have been (especially through those pesky teen years when I knew everything...don't worry, I'm a lot dumber now). Luckily for me, time brings perspective and as I grow older I am becoming increasingly more cognizant of the fact that I have
the best father in the whole world.
Happiest of Birthdays to the man that puts all other fathers to shame!!
Some of my favorite things about my Dad:
*He's a fabulous and hysterical story teller. I love to hear about the time he found a dead body in front of his house (and his mom wouldn't believe him...until she saw their home on the evening news), or the time he locked himself out of his hotel room...in his underwear (classic), or the elder from Dad's mission that rode off into the sunset with the girl he fell in love with...on his bike, or the various sundry tales from his teenage years (which I'm only beginning to hear for the first time...Dad really censored his teenage years when he talked about them when I was growing up!!).
*I love the way he calls me Emmie. Very few people call me that, and I love that it's almost exclusively reserved for my Dad.
*I think the only person that could beat my Dad at Jeopardy is Ken Jennings. Ken is just lucky that my Dad wasn't one of the contestants up against him -- Dad would've knocked him out in the first episode :) Dad used to watch Jeopardy with us in the room and would call out the answers -- then make us give him high fives when he was right. Which he was, something like 99% of the time.
*My Dad used to always use phrases like, "Be Calm." Poor man was burdened with a loud and easily-excited progeny and he had to be the reminder of the need for decency and calm -- which gave him the unfair designation as the Party Pooper. :) Since moving away from home, I've realized how much fun my Dad is -- he's just not the loud and rambunctious kind of fun -- and I even heard myself say "Be calm" to my own children this week. I understand you, Dad. I truly understand you now.
*He's one of the smartest, well-read, interesting people I've ever met. These were also qualities I fell in love with in my husband. They simultaneously make me realize how little I know, and make me want to learn more...which is the mark of a true mentor and teacher. Although our interests may vary slightly, I'm always amazed at how much my Dad has to offer on the subjects we discuss.
*He loves my mother with a pure and Christlike love. He has encouraged in her, qualities and abilities that she didn't know she had. They have worked together, labored together, loved together, cried together, and experienced life together -- and it's so beautiful to see their togetherness continue to enrich their lives. Maybe a little too much. (haha, just kidding Mom and Dad -- but really, the lovey-dovey text messages and Facebook updates are a little nauseating to your kids. FYI.)
Love you, Dad.
I've been getting older every day and inevitably, Dad, so have you. It's the unfair reality that time marches on, and we have our birthdays to prove that :)
All that I am, I owe to you and the Mother you chose for your children. There is so much about me that I didn't recognize as strength until I was able to see more clearly, and as I was able to see more clearly, I could recognize that the strength came from you. You set the pattern and example for me to follow long before I even knew I was following.
What Mom taught me about zeal and energy and passion and spirit, you tempered as you taught humility and gentleness and quiet strength and dedication. What Mom encouraged of creativity, you supported with consistency.
And in your seemingly opposite personalities, the two of you have taught me about marriage and complement and love -- and what our Father in Heaven intends for His children to learn through their relationships. I know my own marriage is stronger because you make the effort to strengthen yours.
I don't know what I did to be blessed to be your daughter, Dad, but I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven for the opportunity to be yours. I fear I'll spend the rest of my days trying to prove worthy of that great gift, but I'm willing to try, because having you as my father has been one of the supreme blessings of my life. I'm sorry that I haven't always seen you with the clarity that a little maturity brings, and I know that I haven't been as grateful as I should have been (especially through those pesky teen years when I knew everything...don't worry, I'm a lot dumber now). Luckily for me, time brings perspective and as I grow older I am becoming increasingly more cognizant of the fact that I have
the best father in the whole world.
Happiest of Birthdays to the man that puts all other fathers to shame!!
Some of my favorite things about my Dad:
*He's a fabulous and hysterical story teller. I love to hear about the time he found a dead body in front of his house (and his mom wouldn't believe him...until she saw their home on the evening news), or the time he locked himself out of his hotel room...in his underwear (classic), or the elder from Dad's mission that rode off into the sunset with the girl he fell in love with...on his bike, or the various sundry tales from his teenage years (which I'm only beginning to hear for the first time...Dad really censored his teenage years when he talked about them when I was growing up!!).
*I love the way he calls me Emmie. Very few people call me that, and I love that it's almost exclusively reserved for my Dad.
*I think the only person that could beat my Dad at Jeopardy is Ken Jennings. Ken is just lucky that my Dad wasn't one of the contestants up against him -- Dad would've knocked him out in the first episode :) Dad used to watch Jeopardy with us in the room and would call out the answers -- then make us give him high fives when he was right. Which he was, something like 99% of the time.
*My Dad used to always use phrases like, "Be Calm." Poor man was burdened with a loud and easily-excited progeny and he had to be the reminder of the need for decency and calm -- which gave him the unfair designation as the Party Pooper. :) Since moving away from home, I've realized how much fun my Dad is -- he's just not the loud and rambunctious kind of fun -- and I even heard myself say "Be calm" to my own children this week. I understand you, Dad. I truly understand you now.
*He's one of the smartest, well-read, interesting people I've ever met. These were also qualities I fell in love with in my husband. They simultaneously make me realize how little I know, and make me want to learn more...which is the mark of a true mentor and teacher. Although our interests may vary slightly, I'm always amazed at how much my Dad has to offer on the subjects we discuss.
*He loves my mother with a pure and Christlike love. He has encouraged in her, qualities and abilities that she didn't know she had. They have worked together, labored together, loved together, cried together, and experienced life together -- and it's so beautiful to see their togetherness continue to enrich their lives. Maybe a little too much. (haha, just kidding Mom and Dad -- but really, the lovey-dovey text messages and Facebook updates are a little nauseating to your kids. FYI.)
Love you, Dad.
5 comments:
Yay Dad! Happy Birthday!!
Well, I guess it's better that we're "lovey-dovey" than "hatey-spatey". But what a wonderful tribute to your father, he will love reading it. And you have matured pretty well, I think you are a wonderful balance of the 2 parents you ended up with. Life is all about learning, but somehow Dad learned way more than the rest of us very early on in his life. I love that about him, his yearning to learn. It does prompt me to want to learn more too. I love it when my children cause me to tear up, in a good way, and you have certainly accomplished that in this post. Love you!
aw. happy birthday to Em's dad!!
Very sweet, very touching. Ditto to it all. :)
Dad, I love you and appreciate all that you've done for me. I echo Emily's statement that you are the best father a person could have. Thank you for your Christ-like example to me. I still need to learn a lot from you. Love you!
-Tommy Boy
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