Happy Birthday Dad!

"I am so sorry Jacki," my dad told me once, replacing the light heartedness of our previous conversation with a somber tone. My mind raced into a small panic. Sorry for what? What happened and how is he involved in it? “Sorry for what?” I cautiously asked him. “I’m sorry for giving you and Darcie such a high standard for your future husbands,” he said.

Truer words have never been spoken. I grew up in a home where I knew my dad loved his children and cherished his wife. I knew his family, above anything else in the world, came first. I remember him sending my mom flowers just because, leaving cards for her in unexpected places and doing things that only my father would do. In our garage in the cities, is a wall covered with graffiti. The perpetrator was my father. It says, “Dave and Sue, 1987” with a big sappy heart around it.

I watched my father live an honest, beautiful life. He is the kind of man that makes breakfast for his children after church on Sunday morning. The radio will almost always be on and he will be dancing. If you are within reach, he’ll grab your hand and force you to join in to. You won’t protest, because you love him so much.

He is the kind of man that works late hours to provide for his family. That kind of work ethic doesn’t come without sacrifice. I watched him drive 120 miles to and from work. I watched him sacrifice weekends and some family events because he’s the kind of man that will do what has to be done to take care of his family.

My dad has always been a source of comfort to me. Although, I think my siblings will agree, that when we call we usually ask for Mom. I feel very comfortable talking to either of my parents, but I’ve always had this feeling that Mom will listen and Dad will get things done (although they both cover the spectrum). If I have any kind of problem that needs a solution, my Dad will find it or create it.

We grow up hoping, when we are blessed with a father like mine, that we will find a man like our father. My sister and I will be lucky if we find a man half as good as my father.

http://youtu.be/ltRwmgYEUr8