Saturday, June 20, 2015

Father's Day Thoughts


            My earliest childhood memory is of my Dad pushing me on a swing at a park and teaching me how to tie my shoelaces there. I think I was around four years old. It’s funny because my husband’s earliest childhood memory is of his Dad teaching him how to tie his shoes also. I don’t know if that memory has any type of deeper meaning, other than the obvious,  . . . that both of us know how to tie our shoes today, thanks to our Dads.
            That was the first of many things I learned from my Dad. This list includes:
Mowing the grass
Trimming trees and rose bushes
Swimming
Driving a stick shift car
Changing a flat tire
Changing spark plugs (which I have never needed to do, by the way)
Charging the battery in my Volkswagen Rabbit while I was away at college
Balancing a checkbook
Algebra I (2 years!), Algebra II, and Geometry
            He also . . .
Read every book report, research paper and story I wrote.
Listened to every speech, oral report, drama performance and speech team event I gave.
            More importantly, he . . .
Taught me that being the first to apologize is important in a relationship.
Said winning an argument in marriage is not really a win-win, and keeping score does not promote love in a marriage.
            And he took me to church when I was young and showed me how to pray and ask Jesus to be my Savior.
            It has been easy for me to believe the God of the Universe cares about me, loves me, wants to hear from me and has my best interest in mind . . . because that is how my Dad treated me.
            I know not everyone had an earthly Father like mine. But thankfully, we all have a Heavenly Father who values us, delights in us, has good plans for us and loved us enough to die for us. He longs to talk to us, always listens to us, forgives us, and has a wonderful future planned for us that gives us purpose and hope.                                               
                                                            Happy Father’s Day!