Gratitude Saturday: My Dad...

Today is my dad's birthday!  

He's, well, younger than I will be when I'm his age.  

My 20th high school reunion is tonight too (I'm still here in Texas so have fun y'all!).  I was doing some math this morning after my son woke me up from a dead sleep.  He left to go play and I got to lay there thinking about my dad's birthday and when my kids will graduate from high school.

I know.  But I was really tired.  Thoughts of high school graduations happen when momma hasn't had enough sleep.  

Dad was six years younger when I graduated from high school than I will be when Aubrey Kate graduates from high school.  Which explains why he is so young now.  He started on the whole parenting journey much earlier.  

Wise choice.

But Dad started planning and building his life way before I entered the world.  

Back on that Boy Scout's bus to pass out programs at Auburn football games, he started dreaming.  Planning and studying to go to college.  Worked hard in high school.  Even got a perfect score on his ACT test.  And board by board, he started building his future.  

Until he'd built his first room with his graduation from Auburn as an engineer.  First in his family.  

In the midst of building that room with a college education, he made the excellent decision to marry my mom.  Sure, she couldn't cook but she was loving and hard working and willing to come alongside and build right with him.  

The cooking thing was minor.  That's a learned skill.  And he's a good teacher.

Together, mom and dad left college and set about adding rooms to their house.  A kitchen where he taught mom to cook.  A living room for watching Auburn football.  A den to house the Atari.  And eventually, a room for a little girl and a room for a little boy.

Over the years, those rooms were filled with so many memories.  Ones I've already started sharing with my kids.

Like Dad playing his guitar or torturing us with the music of his youth (which we now boldly use to torture our own children).  The way he always wears a towel on his shoulder when he's cooking.  His love of superheros and science fiction.  Lessons my son has already locked onto with an Ironman grip.  (Go ahead and ask Rhys who the meanest bad guy is?  He'll tell you.  And then say, "Puddin' told me so!")

Through it all, he never stopped working hard, never stopped building for the future, never stopped adding on to his legacy.

But the biggest legacy Dad has given us through all those years of building a life is this...

...He showed us the Carpenter.  

The Master Builder all along with our Heavenly Father.  

Not once was Dad building alone.  He was following Christ and in doing that, he was able to be a part of a wonderful life being built.  

Christ, as the author and perfector of all, gave Dad the knowledge, the skills, the helpmate and yes, even the world's as-near-to-perfect-as-possible children to help build this life.  Dad never allowed us to see him or mom as the builders.  Instead, he pointed us to the One True Builder.

Thank you, Dad.  We are blessed to have learned how to build by watching you trust in Christ.  

Happy Birthday!  Looking forward to years of continued building ahead.  I love you!

Photo cred to awesome, SIL, Carrie!