Are you celebrating?
Grilling?Chilling? Napping? Remembering?
Whatever you may be doing, I sincerely hope it's wonderful:).
I will be seeing my father later this afternoon when we grill at mom and dad's to celebrate today, duh, and tomorrow which is his birthday!
(He will be 78, but I'm pretty sure he stopped counting when he had Mercy.)
I was thinking about all of the fathers in my life, and how they have had some affect on shaping my view on what it means to be a great dad.
I would like to share with you a few of them, and honor them for what they are doing and have taught me!
...drum roll pahleeeze...
First up is my brother (from another mother) Del!
Del is married to my seestor Malinda, so technically he is my brother-in-law. But that takes too long to say.
Let's keep it simple, shall we?
I have always admired Del because he is the strong, silent type.
He is so even-tempered and never seems to get his feathers ruffled. I like that. My feathers are always in disarray!
Ever since they welcomed baby J into their lives, Del has filled the "daddy" role perfectly.
Malinda has a very demanding job, not that Del doesn't, but hers required a move and a lot of snow! Del has stood beside her the entire time...and enjoyed the snow entirely too much! They make decisions together and they raise their boy together. Jackson is a very lucky boy to have a daddy who wants nothing more than to lay outside on the hammock with him, or to push him on the swing.
I admire Del for always jumping at the chance to spend time with Jackson, and being the rock Malinda needs to lean on:).
Daddy Saigon is another man I have a lot of respect for.
He is both my father-in-law, and the man I have deemed my "protector".
I feel like, and have honestly always felt like, he gets me.
Like the me no one else seems to understand.
The me who gets anxious in crowds.
The me who wants to cook everything perfectly.
The down right annoying me.
I have never had to explain my love for the farm and the land to him.
I have never had to explain anything to him. He just understands. He accepts.
I look at Saigon and I trust him, without question.
I admire that in the way he presents himself and carries himself, people have that automatic reaction to him.
He is a great listener and is slow to react, both of which are admirable traits as well.
Next is this guy.....
He is my everything.
He became a dad about the time I was graduating from high school....heh.
Snuck that one in there....
He is a great dad. If you asked him he would be the first to say that he isn't perfect, but what dad is?
I have learned a great many things from my love, but the one parenting tip that reigns supreme is that it's a learning experience. There's no manual, no magic trick to being a great parent.
He is harder on himself than anyone. He wants Caden to know that he is loved and feel it at the same time.
The last, but not least, father I would like to talk about is this fellow....
My dad.
From riding us around on his back around the sunroom like a "horsey" when I was a kid, to teaching me how to drive the old farm truck...and bobcat...and tractor...andotherstuff...he has taught me a lot.
I have spent some time thinking about this, and the biggest, most important lesson I have learned from my dad is that in order to get what you want in life, you have to work hard.
Every.Day.
He has.
Maybe he hasn't always been the cuddliest of dads, or the easiest to talk to, but he has consistently been the hardest working for his family. I didn't see him that much when we were little, because he was working. Maybe I was afraid of him, since he was the end-of-the-line disciplinarian, but you know what? That's the dad's role. He is the leader, the example to follow. Dad's aren't meant to always be buddies, pushovers. They are meant to lead. He did that.
I admire that in my dad.
I love my dad, and all of the other dad's who have taught me something different.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Love,
Me
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