Happy Father's Day!

Since today is Father's Day I thought this would be the perfect time to tell everyone why I love my dad so much and why he's the best. Both of my parents are such amazing people. They are equally as special and important to me, and I love them both as much as one person can love another, but because of the day, I'm just focusing on my dad.

My dad is very intelligent. Don't know how something works? Want to figure something out? Need advice, be it personal, professional, financial, or other? Well my dad is the perfect person to go to. He doesn't sugar-coat things, he'll give you his honest answer. He thinks things through logically and tells you what you need to hear, whether you want to hear it or not.

My dad is easy-going and very calming, he stays clear and levelheaded in tense or stressful situations. I remember the first car accident I was involved in. I did a fair amount of damage to our car and the other car. I'm sure once he saw that Lisa and I were alright, among other things, he was considering how much money it was going to cost to repair both cars, something we probably didn't have a lot of at the time. I was worried my dad would yell at me, or that I'd be in a lot of trouble. But the only thing I can remember very vividly about that day was what my dad said to me as we were walking home... "this too shall pass." I don't think there is anything he could've said at that moment that would have been more perfect. It was calming, it put me at ease, he didn't yell at me, he didn't even ground me! My dad is like a pier in the water. It doesn't matter how forceful or high or reckless the waters crash against it, the pier remains sturdy and strong. It provides a firm foundation to those who stand on it, or to those who need to cling to it for support.

My dad is a hard worker. He and my mother both taught my sisters and me to give everything when doing a job. He works long hours, stays up late, misses out on golfing or other things me may like to do, all because he knows hard work is good for you, and he is helping others. He used to do projects around the house all the time with me as his sidekick. I was always so fascinated watching him work, the way he would study the problem, and fix it. It seemed like he could tackle any problem, and he always knew exactly what to do to correct the problem. He taught me that the right way may not always be the easy way, but if you're going to do something, do it right the first time, no matter how hard it may be (measure twice, cut once). He taught me to keep trying, and never give up, because if you work hard enough, you can do it!

My dad is a teacher of life. Just as I enjoyed watching and learning from him, I loved doing projects with him. He would explain things to me in a way that I understood, explaining why what we were doing was so important. I learned how to use a plunger, replace a pipe, fix a flat bike tire, shingle a roof, do various things around the yard, use a snow blower, check my oil and other fluids, replace a tire, paint the house, build a deck, repaint and remodel a room, replace lighting fixtures, dig a hole, check and replace a sprinkler head, replace an alternator, change a lightbulb, swim, throw a ball and play catch, use a computer, fix a squeaky floor ... this list goes on and on and on. He used the approach of "give a man to fish, you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." It probably would have been much easier for him to do projects alone, without me wanting to try, or pestering him and asking questions, but he isn't like that. He taught me, always practicing patience while teaching me, and because of that, he has fed me for a lifetime.

My dad is fun. Every year we would take a trip to California. I loved going to Disneyland, but one of my favorite things to do after we left the park, was to go swimming with my dad! We have home movies of him teaching us to swim, how to hold our breath, or how to dive. And he would launch us across the pool, which I'm sure was very tiring, but he kept doing it. I'm sure he saw how much we loved it, and that's what kept him doing it. Another thing I loved to do as a child, was go to the park with him. He would push me so high on the swings, I was afraid I might take off into the sky! He would climb, and roll, and race, and play baseball, and have fun with us, all after putting in a long day at work to provide for us.

My dad is a good person. He is faithful and loves God. He is a wonderful example of what a Christ-like person should exemplify. He has always been helpful to those who are in need, whether it required his knowledge and services, or rather it was just a monetary need. He puts others above himself, in both family and other social situations. I hope that one day I will be as great a person of love and faith as he is.

My dad is so many things, many more than I can write about in this simple post. He is very special to me. I see him as a loving and caring husband. I see him as a perfect father who rarely raised his voice, and I attribute that to the way he and my mother raised us. They wanted us to be great people, and it is because of their examples, I can see my sisters becoming great people, and I hope others recognize a few characteristics of both of my parents in me. That way I will know I have become a great person too.

Happy Father's Day dad, I love you!