Cooking for me, always reminds me of my own dad. Each Sunday my dad made an amazing dinner. I loved his cooking. I miss his cooking. I miss him. Today as I was thinking about the blessings of Father's I got a little teary. I remembered all that I love about my dad. Let me tell you a little about him.
My dad is tender. I remember as a little child, I would always love snuggling with my dad. His chest was perfect for snuggling, and I always felt like I fit perfectly there. Whenever I was scared in the middle of the night, I knew exactly who to go to in order to be comforted, my dad. He would scoop me up around my waist, and pull me close to him. I loved those early morning hours snuggling with him, I never felt more safe.
As a child, our family experienced a tragedy a family should never experience. My brother took his own life. My parents were amazing through the whole experience. Here was an opportunity for any parent to truly fall apart, to be consumed by grief. And yet, what I saw, as a 10 year old, was that my parents were concerned about their children's well being. They took time with each of us to make sure we were well. They made sure none of us felt like anything was our fault. I remember looking at my dad and thinking it was amazing how well he handled it all. As a mother now, I have no idea how my parents pulled this off. I learned from my dad that children always come first, parents put their own feelings on the back burner to make sure their children are well.
As a teenager, when I flew off the freeway in our family van (on my way to Lake Powell with some friends), I remember calling my dad to tell him of my awesome adventure. It was midnight, and I woke him up to tell him some pretty upsetting news. Yes, he was mad. Pretty angry, and I deserved it. And yet, what I didn't know is after we hung up, there was no way he was going to be able to sleep. He drove the 4 hours in the middle of the night to come pick up us all up. When he got there, he wasn't angry, just glad that we were all safe. My dad's biggest concern was the safety and happiness of his children.
A few years ago when my own little family had a little trial, my dad was there. As I lay in the hospital bed, cradling Lizzy and wondering what the future held for us. My dad called. He asked what we needed, should he come to the rescue? Should he make the trip? And, being the spaz I am, I didn't want to inconvenience him. I told him he could come if he wanted, that we could use him, but if he didn't want to, he didn't have to come. But inside I was screaming, YES, I need help. I knew our temporal needs would be taken care of by our ward family, I knew we could get by. But yes, I needed my daddy. Well, after talking for a bit, we hung up and I wondered what would happen. In a few more minutes, I received another call. My dad had a flight out the next morning, he would get here at 8 a.m. Oh my word. My heart soared, and I was so relieved. He came to the rescue, he took care of our kids while we stayed in the hospital for the next 5 days to get Lizzy well. My dad continually teaches me what a parents love is like. It's unconditional, unending, and unstoppable. I'm so grateful he saw past my 'punkiness' and supported us.
As I face parenting teenagers, I constantly think of my dad. Who told me over and over again that teenagers were his favorite. I love his example of love. He talked with us. He enjoyed us. He included us in all he did. He had fun, and taught us about fun, and about loud speakers. He shared his love of Cougar sports, vintage cars, and near beer. I love my dad beyond description. I hope I can be a parent like him someday.
Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dad's out there. Happy Father's Day to the extra dad's my kids have, there are great men who are so good to my kids. We are blessed!
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