Fathers Day

Fathers Day is one of my favorite days. I'm not a big holiday girl. I hate Thanksgiving food. I would rather buy a bag of Halloween candy and give it to Adam than help him beg for it. I also feel that attempting to stay up past 11:59p.m. on December 31st is just silly since it will still be January 1st the next day whether you are awake at 12:00a.m. or noon. I know I seem like a party pooper and a stick-in-the-mud and I probably am. I have a hard time with holidays that I deem have no purpose. However, Fathers Day is not one of those days. I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the life and love of the men who mean so much to me. They deserve a day of recognition and respect. On this day, I would like to mention some of the things that impress me most about the three most important men in my life.

First, my Father. My Father taught me how to work. I can remember building countless structures, tearing up old linoleum, planting numerous gardens, caring for the menagerie outside, painting inside, outside, and inside again and a myriad of other activities that made me a smart, dedicated, and resourceful worker. My Father taught me that I was most important in his life. He attended all the father-daughter activities, even those where he had to consume large amounts of Jell-o to win a prize (a food that he hates). He fasted for me once a week during a period in my life when I was going through something difficult. He rearranged his schedule so that he could take his daughters camping and help them pass of their girls camp certification. My Father taught me that he loved the Lord and the word of God. He studied his scriptures daily and it was something I caught him doing often. He communicated with our Heavenly Father and I regularly heard him plea on my behalf. He made sure each of his children knew how it important is was to choose the right and obey the commandments. My Father is the best of men.

A second man I would like to mention is the Father of my husband. Although I have only known him for a short five years, I have come to appreciate him for the man of strength and caring that he is. I am grateful for the many years he spent supporting a young Eric in his basketball obsession. He would travel near and far to watch his son play a game. He would let Eric attend camp after camp despite the cost and inconvenience it caused him. He showed that he considered his child's interests and desires more important than his own. I am grateful for the amazing example he is of a man who works hard to support his family. He desires to give his wife and children the best in life and does all that he can to help and sustain them. He blesses them all despite their differing ages and circumstances. I am grateful that he loves each of his children and strives to teach them how to be well rounded people who are respectful of others. All of his children are a blessing to their surroundings because of his diligent instruction. Most of all, I am grateful for the hand he had in shaping my husband into the man he is today.

Finally, I cannot end without talking about the most important man in my own life and in the lives of my children. It has been almost five years now since Eric and I were married. With every year that passes he becomes more amazing to me. We have been blessed with two amazingly handsome sons who Eric adores with every fiber in his being. My greatest joys come from watching him chase Adam around the house while Adam giggles hysterically or lift Caleb over his head and yell "Lion King!" He is an amazing Father to them and even at their young age he strives to teach them what is right. He initiates family scripture study and family prayer each night and helps Adam to understand who or what it is we are learning about. He works hard to make sure we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. His job is not his dream job and he often comes home exhausted and battered but he sticks with it because he knows what is most important right now. He has stuck with me through two full-term pregnancies or, as they should be referred to, two periods where I am certifiably insane. He has supported me through five miscarriages and held me while I mourned our lost babies. He is always ready to do any and all things that I request of him. My wish, as it were, is his command. He is my strong place and my safe home. How grateful I am to my Father in Heaven for him.