Happy Fathers Day, Daddy

June 18, 2016

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy

19 years ago today my mother and father welcomed a healthy and ever-growing baby girl into the world. [Hey! That means it's my birthday!] Not only did this day in history signify the birth or their favorite daughter [only daughter─but that's a minor detail], it was the day in which they forever gained the titles of "Mommy" and "Daddy".

[Sorry Mom, this is where I'm dropping you out of the loop. This post isn't about you. Forgive me.]

On this day in history my father's resume increased to include the name "Daddy". I don't think he fully knew just what that would entail.

You see, I wasn't always the easiest of children.

[I can already see you laughing out loud on the other end, mother.] In fact I almost always wasn't the easiest of children. I'll let you all leave that up to your imagination. [Thank you Lord for maturity.]

I know I looked all sweet and innocent. [That was just a front.]

But this man I call Daddy─he was patient through it all. Bless his good heart, he was patient through it all. Through the tears and the tantrums and the lessons that were not learned quickly─he was patient.

He knew when to say no. He didn't give me everything I asked for. He taught me─as much as I disagreed with him at the time─that the world did not revolve around me.

I learned from my father that some things aren't worth arguing about.

In fact, most things aren't worth arguing about. Talking, however, that can actually get you somewhere.

I've learned what it looks like to love on your family in simple acts that show how much you care.

Whether it was driving me to school early in the winter months for large group speech practice, taking the long drives to my soccer games, or bringing myself and friends to Chuck E Cheese for several birthdays [even though the pizza tasted horrible]─he has showed that it's the little things that count.

I've learned that housework isn't women's work.

It's everyone's work. [Sadly, also mine.] That means doing the dishes, vacumming the floor, cleaning the bathroom, doing the laundry, mowing the lawn─as a family you divide and conquer. Everyone gets their fair share of work. There might be times when someone's sick or unable to help─that's when you step up your game and do what needs to be done. I've seen this lived out on multiple occasions after Mom's knee replacements, elbow surgeries, foot surgeries, and other miscellaneous surgeries [a LOT of surgeries]. He has done what's been needed to be done, and he's done it without complaining.

My father has showed me that providing is much more than just "bringing home the bread", it's loving on those you care for.

I've learned what it means to sacrifice.

I've learned what it looks like to sacrifice what you want for those you love.
Year after year Dad has agreed to Disney World even though his motion sickness has left him sitting out most of the rides. He's stood in lines and waited in the hot Florida heat. Though he could've ended the tradition after the first year, he stuck it out for his kids.

I've learned the importance of doing what you love.

I've seen my father [the man behind the legend of just a carpenter's kid!] build houses, four-season porches, and decks. I've seen him remodel basements and bathrooms and kitchens. I've seen him invest time into what he loves─time, energy, and precision. He's taught me that often a great amount of time goes into something special─but seeing the finished product, that's what it's all about.

I've learned that even if the kids are sassy, you shouldn't stop being silly.

Through my sass, stages, and atttitudes of life, he hasn't stop cracking jokes. Even when I "didn't" find them funny, he kept 'em coming. He might be the quiet one in the family, but when he has something to say, he says it.

I've seen my father through different seasons of life and in each his character has remained the same.

I've seen my father in dress-up clothes, work pants, and Sunday's best. I've seen him hard at work in the garden, making chicken and rice for dinner, and tucking his baby girl into bed at night. I've played football with him in the yard, played basketball with him on the driveway, and taken many rides around town on his motorcycle.

I watched my father build our house from the ground up. I sat and watched as our little hole in the ground soon come to be the home I would know and love. I watched as he painted my bedroom purple [as per request] and as he set up the trampoline I had long been asking for.

I've seen him practice patience, hold his tongue, and calmly respond when things seem out of control.

Life with a creative and mischievious mind like mine isn't always smooth sailing, but I would say he has tackled it well.

In honor of the man who has been with me from the beginning─and stuck by my side through it all─I'd like to say thank you.