Everything Dad

Happy Father's Day to any dads reading!

Everything Dad

A little girl needs her daddy
To love her with manly charm,
To soothe her when she's hurt,
And keep her safe from harm.

A girl needs her dad
To show her a man who's good,
To help her make right choices,
As only a father could.

A woman needs her father
Just to be aware,
He'll always be there for her
To sustain her and to care.

You've been all these things, Dad.
I hope that you can see
How much I treasure you;
You mean everything to me.
- Joanna Fuchs

This poem sums up how I feel about my Dad.  I sure do miss him!

The Gift of Time

It's Father's Day week and of course the Father's Day gift ideas are flowing into my email box.  My Dad was a hard worker but he always found the time for his family.  I wrote about it on his 71st birthday in the early days of this blog...

I can think of so many "Dadisms" - his little sayings and the way he said them - but the thing that comes to mind is his great love for his family. An example is when Rod broke his femur when he was about 11. Because of Rod's hemophilia, the doctors could not operate to put a pin in the bone (they may have not even done that back then), so he spent about 6 weeks in the hospital with his leg in traction until the bone could begin mending (then another 6-8 weeks in a body cast). Dad would come home from work every night, hurriedly shower and eat dinner, then we'd be off to the hospital. EVERY.NIGHT. No matter how hard he worked that day, how tired he was, he wasn't going to let his little boy spend the evening in the hospital by himself.

Dad has rescued each of his kids and granddaughters when we've had car trouble, ran out of gas, or locked our keys in the car. He was a truck driver for many years, so if you need directions to anywhere in California, ask Dad! You will not get lost IF you follow his directions. The day of Kim's wedding, we were all there except the twins. They called Kim, not sure where they were. The phone went to Dad. After a few moments of listening (another thing he does well - he listens), he told them exactly how to get to us.

For my entire childhood, we always had donuts on Saturday morning. It was one of our traditions. Dad would go to Eddy's Pastries in Fresno. Being kids (and picky!) all four of us had our favorites and Dad would make sure we each got our desired donut(s). As kids we were always up before he went to get them, but as teenagers he'd come wake us up to get our order. Our teenage response to "Do you want a donut this morning?" was usually, "No, I want more sleep!" But when we would finally drag ourselves out of bed, our usual orders would be there!

My Dad would have done anything he could for us, but he somehow understood that the gift of time was the greatest gift he could give.

Happy Father's Day

I was looking for a poem that would sum up how I feel about Dad on Father's Day. This one is perfect!

What Is A Dad?

A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.


He's someone who listens,
suggests, and defends
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!


He's proud of your triumphs
but when things go wrong
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong.


In all that you do,
a dad's love plays a part
There's always a place for him
deep in your heart.


And each year that passes
you're even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!

- Anonymous

Dad, I love you very much! Hope your day is wonderful.

Fathers and Children

I am not a Michael Jackson fan. The only songs I heard him sing were when he was with his brothers, The Jackson Five. I don't know if I can name any of the songs, but I recall his high voice belting it out. By the time Thriller came out in 1983, I was full time on the staff at Truth Tabernacle so my opportunities for hearing that type of music were limited. (And I'm not sorry!)

But my heart was breaking yesterday as I heard the words of his daughter at his memorial service. "I just wanted to say ... ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him — so much," said Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris-Michael, before dissolving into tears and falling into the embrace of her aunt Janet.

Whatever your opinion of him - good, bad, or indifferent - he was Daddy to a little girl and two boys.

I've also been thinking about another father. Retired NFL quarterback, Steve McNair, who was murdered on Saturday. Not only was McNair murdered, but he was murdered with his 20 year old girlfriend, or possibly by her. McNair leaves behind four sons.

It appears that Steve McNair made a serious mistake, betraying his wife and marriage, and now his sons will grow up without their father.

The old saying "no man is an island" is still true and never truer than when a man becomes a father. Every decision a father makes directly affects the lives of his children. When a father chooses a selfish lifestyle, his children are the ones that often suffer the consequences.

This post is not to judge or condemn anyone, but to remind us how important our daily decisions are. There are seven hurting children today because of the decisions of two fathers.