Today is Father’s Day. I am double blessed today, by both my own Dad, and my husband. I know not everyone has a good relationship with their Dad, or they have gone to be with Jesus, or some have never met. It is not wasted on me the blessing that a Dad and husband are…especially mine, so I wanted to take a minute to gush about them and tell anyone and everyone how precious they are to me.
I will start with my Dad, since we have a longer history. He is not a perfect man, but in my eyes I would say he is really close. He is a soldier, so he’s gone sometimes…last year he was celebrating Father’s Day somewhere warm…not tropical…without his family…in OD green. Luckily, this year, he is home and I get to hug him! For all the times growing up that my Dad was away, he spent every moment home engaged with his family. My Dad did not spend a lot of time pursuing hobbies or personal interests. He did enjoy playing the occasional baseball game, which we would happily watch and cheer for him, or some stream fishing, but that was always a joint activity. My sister and I have climbed all over the streams flowing from the Sierra Nevada’s fishing with my Dad. He was home for dinner, he helped me with homework, he prayed for me and with me, he woke me up for church every Sunday morning with a song…”It’s…time…toooooo…RISE and SHINE and give God the glory, glory…” And while he was good to do all of his fatherly duties as frequently as he was able, he did so much more for me in the way he lived his own life. I watched (and still see) my Dad love my Mom. He was kind to her, complimented her, cared for her safety and spiritual life, and honestly enjoys her company more than anyone else I know. I saw him pray for her and over her, check on her during the day and ask often “what can I do to help?” He and my Mom opened up their home, volunteered their time and counseled others in our living room. I watched my Dad, almost everyday open that tattered red leather-bound King James Bible and read it, not to me or to teach or lecture (although that did happen from time to time). I watched him study God’s word for himself. Because it was important to him, and in doing so it would form me. It would be a constant and ever-present reminder that life was about more than me or him, or our family. I was blessed to have not only a Dad who did this but a Mom, and even multiple grandparents. There is a legacy there paved for me of loving God’s word and meditating on His precepts. Now as Papa, he dotes on all my children, loving them with the same sweet spirit that he has me. I am blessed and grateful everyday for this Dad God gave me.
They always say you marry someone like your dad. While I’m sure it wouldn’t take long to find a contradiction to this, it is very true in my case. When my husband and my dad first met they shook hands, firmly, then my dad asked Matt, “is that a knife in your pocket?” Matt confirmed it was and took the knife out of his pocket to show my dad. My dad grinned and drew out his own knife saying, “I have the same one.” It was as if the heavens opened up right then and there and shined sparkly beams of light down on our front door entry. From that moment on I have had the great joy of watching my dad pour into Matt just like he always had with me, building a relationship with him and a genuine love for him like he was his own son. I have enjoyed getting to navigate life with Matt, give birth to his children and watch him become someone amazing in their little eyes. He is Daddy to them, and he may as well have hung the moon. Watching them follow him like little ducks, hang on his every word and do all they can to get a smile from his face, brings a joy to my heart like nothing I have ever experienced. I see the love and joy on their faces that I know I have when I look at my own Dad. Matt plays with them, and laughs with them. He is always fun and doesn’t take himself too seriously, he is fiercely protective of them and sensitive to their feelings, he talks with them, shares his heart with them and includes them in whatever he is doing as often as he can. He enjoys their company. He prays for them and over them, he has taught them to be respectful and adventurous, secure in who they are, and a love for being outside. He sets the mood for our family and makes church involvement a priority. And probably my favorite, he models for them loving your wife. He is affectionate, patient and kind to me. He compliments me in front of them, and tells them how much he loves me. Our daughters see that they should be treated this way, and our son sees how he should treat his future wife. Matt is the most loyal man who I know. If he commits himself to something there is never a moment afterward that anyone would question his commitment. Seeing him as a father to our children makes me love him all the more as my husband. I am so blessed to be his wife, the mother of his children and partner in life. God is good and I have more than I deserve in these two Fathers.
Happy Father’s Day!
♥ Rachael
The Handiwork Home 