Now, its Father’s Day weekend! A day to celebrate the dads in our life. We are blessed with 2 of the best. Really, there are a million things that contribute to their title as “The Best”. Unfortunately, I had to narrow it down to a few. The longer list is ever growing and I’m sure it will continue for years to come. So here is the abbreviated list of things we are grateful to have in our fathers.
1. Hobbies – Chris says his dad works all the time. So much so that he doesn’t have a hobby. Really, we often wonder if he had time, what his hobbies would be. He’s pretty busy taking care of his family, his mother-in-law and his own father and that’s all before you add in work, the house and church responsibilities. I think Auburn football is his only distraction and that only lasts about 4 months. However because of this, Chris learned the value of hard work. Today Chris had a day off so he did all the yard work, cleaned the kitchen, washed all the laundry and washed and waxed his truck. He works circles around most everyone we know. Everyone but his own dad. And for that lesson and instilling that trait in Chris, we are very grateful.
2. Dressing – My dad is a cook. He’s dangerously close to being a chef. He’s pretty famous for his dressing but really, he cooks all kinds of things. Growing up he would create dishes and play around with different spices using more contraptions that one could even imagine. The kitchen was home base. We gossiped, shared, laughed and even argued on occasion. I love waking up on a Saturday morning and seeing him in the kitchen wearing sagging sweat pants, a sweat shirt he bought in 1992 that’s too short and a dish towel slung over his shoulder. He says “Hey Lady” and I’m home.
3. $1 Truck – When we were engaged and Chris was heading off to his first job in Brunswick, GA, his dad offered to sell him his truck. For $1.00. Here we are 8 years since that gift and truly, it’s the gift that’s kept on giving. Because of this, we haven’t had to buy a new car. That gift allowed us to save for grad school, live on one salary during grad school and now save for a new car while the truck keeps on truckin’. It’s just one example of the financial responsibility Chris learned from his dad. What a blessing as a wife to not have to worry about our finances. I know he learned from the best.
4. Herman’s Hermits – I was tortured as a child. Not sure really how I turned out as well as I did. You see, for years, my brother and I were subjected to long road trips (in a mini van) listening to such horrible things like Herman’s Hermits or Frankie Valie or The Beach Boys. It was awful. At least I thought so. Now though I smile when I remember the Saturday afternoons when I would walk into the living room and discover my dad connected to the stereo by a long cord leading to over sized headphones. He would sit crossed legged in the middle of the floor and sing along. Then there were the really scary days when he would bust out the guitar and attempt to relive his youth by playing some Beatles tunes. Now that I’m old…er, I realize those songs are the soundtrack of my life. And every time I hear “I’m Henry the eighth” and am grateful to my dad for sharing his love of music with me.
5. Hope – Because of the wonderful dads we both have, I hold on to the hope that Chris will one day become a dad to own our child. I want him to have the opportunity to pass along his work ethic, his since of responsibility, his humor, his passion for music, his genuine love of life to another generation. He will make an amazing father. And no doubt that will be in large part because of the lessons he’s learned from both his own father and from his father-in-law. So even though we aren’t yet parents, I am grateful he is a Christian, kind, funny, passionate, Auburn graduate that I started praying for when I was 15 years old.
Happy Father’s Day! We love you and wish would could be there to celebrate on Sunday.
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