My Dad

Last year when I wrote about my Mom on Mother’s Day last year I intended for it to be the first in a series of posts about my family. Well we all know how good I am at finishing a post series. (Ahem, the love story series.) I thought I would pick it back up again this week in honor of Father’s Day. 

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When I thought about what I have learned from my Dad, the first thing I thought of was loyalty. My Dad is fiercely loyal. He is the kind of guy who shows up when no one else does, and stays after everyone else is gone. The thing that probably makes him the most angry is if someone else has hurt someone he loves.

Growing up, I never for a second had a thought that my Dad would ever leave us. I knew that he would walk through fire for my Mom or for any of us. It is probably impossible for me to appreciate the ways that having a stable family allowed me to flourish during my childhood. I know many people who couldn’t count on that at home.

Just like my Mom, my Dad is a really hard worker. He went back to school to get his bachelor’s as an adult and graduated when I was a sophomore in high school while working a full-time job and you know, still being a dad. I did not appreciate the effort that took until the past couple of years when I have been working and going to school myself.

People say that the first place you learn about God is from your parents. I know there are a lot of people that struggle with the image of God as Father because of their own bad experiences with their earthly fathers. That certainly has never been the case for me. When I think of God as my Father it is often a very comforting image. I know that in part I have my Dad to thank for that.