I love my dad. And he loves me.

At a grad celebration last year.
Dad's always been this excited
about parties.

I love my dad. Period. I don't have to qualify my love with "... if only he would..." or "... but I wish he ..." I love my dad with all his strengths and quirks.

My dad fell in love with a gal in his youth group and married her the week they turned 21 and 18. Yikes. (Who do you know who's that age?)

Dad and Mom agreed to love each other more than anyone else. More than parents. More than children. When I was 5, I was shocked when I asked Mom if she loved us most: she said she loved Dad best of everyone in the world. I never forgot her healthy model of marriage and devotion.

Dad and Mom flew to Springfield with us
to celebrate grad last year.

Once in a while, Dad would grab Mom and swing her around the kitchen when he came from work. We'd cling to them and squeal, "Daddy, Daddy, put Mom down," along with her "Dearie! oh Dearie!" Ha ha. What do kids know? They were young and having fun.

My three brothers and I knew we were safe from harm. Dad was the man of the house - and he went off to work every day, provided both love and spankings as needed, and taught us practical things.

By the "servant" sculpture, at grad

• You can exercise in the middle of the LR with the kids jumping all over you.
• If you coil a tree with copper wire that's hooked to  a car battery, the neighbor's dog will no longer pee on it and the tree will grow again.
• Plywood boards propped on a scaffold and doused with water make a fine ice slide during Winnipeg's winters.
• Using the garden hose to clean children with poop-y diapers speeds up potty training. (Yeah, Mom was gone that time.)
• Reading TIME magazine with full concentration while babysitting gives children tacit permission to clamber up and down inside the storage closet. It provides them with happy memories of the "closet of mystery," even though Mom wondered who made such a mess of the neatly hung winter coats.
• Having devotions every morning, whether or not the kids are with you, leaves a huge impression about the importance of scripture and prayer.

Dad in the middle of the tribe,
a few Christmases ago

When we were little, I had no idea that he was happy to be my dad. Mom told me that when I was in my late teens, which thrilled me. Regardless, I always felt safest with him. I knew Dad's love for God, his willingness to obey God's Word, and his love for his family buffered us from whatever would hurt us.

I'm probably as much or more like my dad than my brothers, so I like how he does things. He's encouraged us since we were little, with "You can do it!" He's applauded our accomplishments with a grin or "well, that's good." He's pushed each child forward to be courageous rather than cautious. He's modeled creative thinking when obstacles couldn't be solved with traditional solutions.

There's no one in the world like my Pop! He smiled when we said we were going to Indonesia. And I know he and Mom will be our champions, our supporters, and our spiritual advocates as we go.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD.

I trust my Heavenly Father on this new venture, because my dad has been a most trustworthy and honorable man. I'm proud to call him my father!

Read more:
*How great are God’s signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. Daniel 4:3 (NIV)

*God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Acts 19:11 (NLT)

*We know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:16 (NLT)

Moravian Prayer: Lord, we see proof of your extraordinary love in the miracles you performed in days of old. Open our eyes that we might see and be the miracles of today and tomorrow. Amen.