A Father's love can not compare,
The amazing sacrifice for their families they bear.
They go to work and come home each day,
Knowing when they hit the door their kids will want to play.
They support, love and protect,
Knowing their family is safe is something they expect.
A Father's role is like no other,
His presence is needed to compliment the mother.
He teaches, he disciplines, he loves and he cares,
But he always has time to make a fort with the chairs.
He fears the Lord and has a heart of compassion,
A man of his word which speaks louder than action.
His heart is filled when his children accept the Lord,
He teaches them that the Bible is the Sword.
Unnoticed, devalued, unappreciated, portrayed to be weak,
Yet you are one of the most important assets that our world must seek.
Our children strive to be like daddy as many have confessed,
Many lives you have touched and for that we are blessed.
On this Father's Day I am reminded how thankful I am for the role of the father. I remember growing up and seeing a picture by my dad's desk that said "Any Man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a daddy." As I have heard Addison over and over again call for her daddy it reminded just how special they are. Our society today makes men/father's seem like they aren't important by showing commercials that devalue men or make them seem weak. I think this FAR from the truth. I have been blessed to be surrounded by amazing men who truly know how to be a daddy.
Ben is an amazing daddy. When we first were married we always wanted to have a boy to name him after Ben's dad but instead the Lord chose to bless us with our precious little miracle girl! I cry as I write this because the way Ben is with Addy just melts my heart. He loves her so much and from day one, he has had daddy/daughter date night (something my dad still does with me). He is her knight and shining armor, he is her protector, he is her hide and seek buddy, he is her disciplinarian, he is her fixer of broken toys, he is her bear hug when she gets hurt and mostly he is her daddy...or as she says "the man she will marry one day."
The Lord has blessed me with an amazing father who was/is a phenomenal daddy. Whether it was sports, education, church or school...he was apart of our lives every step of the way. I remember pictures of me on third base getting ready to run home and he was the coach waving me into home. He was my basketball coach when I was on the Pacers with our Salmon colored jersey...He at age 12 took me on a daddy/daughter trip to share with my the importance of waiting until I was married to be with my husband intimately..he gave me a beautiful ring to symbolize that vow I made to God and him. He drove "Dad's Limo"(also known as our minivan at that time) to pick Scott and I up on the last day of school which had root beer waiting for us. He was at high school graduation, college graduation and he walked me down the aisle on my wedding day. I remember looking at him that day and knowing I would miss waking up in my room and getting little kisses at bedtime but I knew he was walking me down the aisle to an amazing man who would also one day be a daddy. I truly could go on forever but thing I love most about my dad is his faith in Jesus. From a young age my dad put bible verses in my lunches, wrote me notes and even now to this day sends email/verses of encouragement. The impact my dad has placed on my life is irreplaceable. The memories we have shared and continue to share are such a blessing to me. There is something special about a girl and her daddy and I am so thankful the Lord gave me mine. I am blessed, I am blessed beyond words to have a dad that was there because I know not everyone has that. My dad has given time to his family and put the work in to make sure we live a life that seeks Christ with all our heart.
This year is a hard year for our family as it is the first Father's Day we will celebrate without my father in law....Tears come to my eyes as we all miss him so dearly...My heart aches for Ben, Katie, and Cathie. I am thankful that he left such an amazing godly legacy and that pieces of him live in Ben and Katie today. My father in law was special to me, he was my second dad. He always called me his daughter even it wasn't through blood. Some of my most impactful memories of him were in some of his last months of life even though I knew him for 16 years. He was such a huge encourager and a source of wisdom. As he struggled with cancer and got very weak he still seemed to find the energy to come with me to my infertility appointments and surgery. What I went through was NOTHING in comparison to what he did and yet his sacrifice to support and physically be there with Ben and I was astounding. His life was just always like this. He was always there for his family...Words can't even explain how much he meant to me. He was a blessing to our family and continues to be through the lives of his two children and wife. No one can replace the impact he has made on many lives. I will love him forever, I am forever his Rose Bud...
I am blessed to be surrounded by many godly men in my family: my grandpa, my brothers: Scott and David, my uncles and cousins by marriage.
Each one of these men has made an impact on my life and for that I am forever grateful. So on this Father's Day...Thank you for being men who are courageous...who fear the Lord...who support their wives and children and who love the Lord first and Family Second.
Happy Father's Day 2014
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. Proverbs 14:26
