Fathers Day is now over a week ago, but I have really been wanting to honor my Dad in some way, and since I wasn't with him on Father's Day, I figure writing a little about why my Dad is so wonderful will suffice. I am very much a daddy's girl, and I still believe my Dad is the most handsome, charming, hilarious, wonderful Dad in the world. I think of him as a combination of Cary Grant and Rocky - Charming and Goofy. Growing up, I remember him always doing silly things to crack Hannah and me up - things like laying in bed with us and snoring and "talking in his sleep" - Hannah and I used to laugh so hard we would cry. In the car, we used to always BEG him to "do the airplane", which was basically speeding up really quickly to where we flew back in our seats and felt like we were in an airplane - of course mom wasn't in the car. :) Dad's always been know to crack really corny jokes, but I always laughed at them, and as I've gotten older, we like to crack corny jokes together - I've bonded with him in that way, and I know that I've gotten his goofy side.
Dad is also the best example of what a Christian husband and Dad should be. Dad didn't grow up in the church. He grew up Catholic, and wasn't converted until high school. It's really incredible because you would never know. I can remember way back having conversations with my Dad about faith, and even though my mom is a woman of great wisdom, Dad is the spiritual leader in our family, which has been so important to me. He is always up early on Sundays reading his bible and taking notes in it. He is a strong spiritual example, and because of his example, my brother grew into a strong spiritual leader for his family.
My Dad is also the hardest worker I've ever known - could be cause he's Mexican. :) He takes great pride in his yard, and is often out mowing, or watering the lawn, or landscaping (Our yard got yard of the month one month!). He's a great handy man, and was always fixing things around the house - and still does when he comes to see me! One example is my bedside lamp that hadn't been working for months and I was about to throw it away - oh no, one trip to Home Depot, and it was fixed, along with doors that didn't used to shut all the way. He loves what he does. He's a High School Teacher and Coach, and has always put the students first. His players absolutely LOVE him and are always over at the house. He has even had players from years ago come back and express their appreciation for his caring for them in High School. One quality that I love and I know his players love about him is that, although winning and playing hard is important - his team went to state several times - his players and coaches know that the kids are more important, and forming relationships, and learning lessons make more of an impact than a state championship ring.
My Dad is the ultimate family man. Family comes first. We were never close to his family - most of them were very unhappy with him "leaving the Catholic Faith". We were it, and family time was very important to him. We were always together as a family. We are very close. One of my favorite memories is watching old movies with Dad, or some of our favorite new movies, and quoting lines. We often had family bible studies together, and Dad would read some sort of lesson from the Children's Bible, and we would sing. It was very important to him, and still is. I love it. Dad worked hard to provide a living for us. One thing that I will never, ever forget is how he would get up early in the mornings during the school year and drive the school bus so that he could make extra money for us. It's one of those things that kinda gets me choked up, especially now that I have a job, and I know how incredibly selfless that is.
My Dad is the all around perfect man, and my mom is very lucky. He treats her so well. I remember him taking me on secret shopping trips to get something special for mom. He also planned this AMAZING trip to Vermont staying at the Von Trapp Family Lodge (where mom always wanted to go) for their anniversary and surprised mom. He takes extra special care of her when she's sick. It's sweet. I am so thankful that I grew up seeing how much my Dad loved my mom. He gave me an example of what to expect in a husband (Eric is wonderful ;) ).
I love my Dad, as you can see, and I am so excited for my kids to giggle at his goofiness, and grow from his wisdom and example. Like I did. So, HAPPY BELATED FATHERS DAY DADDY. You really are the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment