A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

MY DADDY…

To every little girl, her daddy is her hero. He is stronger and faster and bigger than any other daddy. There is no-one who even comes close. A daddy holds a place in his little girls heart that no-one else could ever fill, no matter what happens between them.

This is how I feel about my Dad. I have precious memories of moments shared between him and I that no-one else shared – little golden moments frozen in my memory like jewels. I keep them safely locked up so that I will never lose them or forget them.
Like the time mom and I had gotten up each others noses and I went outside in a sulk and dad came out to me where I was standing fighting back tears and he asked me what had happened and I told him. Without any words he erased all anger and fear in my heart simply by taking me and hugging me tightly to his chest.

And the time he warned me about a boyfriend I was seeing who was a real loser. He very gently and lovingly warned me that I could stay with him and live out my life the way it was already – or I could get out of the relationship and find someone better (which I did). My dad is not a man of many words and he never discusses other people and so when he offered me this advice – I took it very seriously.

Then there was the time my hubby and I went fishing with my dad and I had him all to myself. I think there were other people there too, but I don’t remember if there were. My little sister had gone in to have tumor removed from her shoulder which they feared might have been cancerous on the same weekend and we were all very concerned, anyway I got a call from mom saying it was not cancerous and I was the one who could go and tell dad. I will never forget the look of relief on his face, as he grabbed in a hug once again.

And the time he walked me down the isle to give me away at my wedding – a moment every little girl dreams of one day. He told my mom we were not allowed to play Butterfly Kisses at the wedding cause it would make him sad.

And of course there was the time hubby and I went to my parent’s house to tell them we were pregnant. I ran into their house waving a pregnancy test at them and dad saw me first and said “what’s that..?” and at the exact same time his eyes lit up as he realized what it was. He grabbed me and hugged me in his joy – I never expected him to be so excited about it.
Dad and I are very much the same, we take things personally – especially from our children and we really beat ourselves over the head when we make a mistake – especially with our children. But you know, I am the person I am because of my dad – and I am proud of him and the things he has overcome in his life.

Every dad wants to protect his little girl from every evil, every hurt and every bad thing. And although dads are hard and tough on the outside they are tender and loving on the inside and all they want is to know that their little girls love them.

If there is one piece of advice I can give to all dads it is this: Ask Jesus to make you just like Him, cause your child is going to want to be just like you.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there. Your children love you and need you more than you will know – or than they may let on.

Daddy – I love you !!!