My father, though with his own faults, has always been a good father. He is a man with family near to his center. His "girls" have always been his world. My father has battled drinking for many years, he is a functional alcoholic. He never missed a day of work and taught my sisters and myself to have a good work ethic. He is a hard worker. Beyond his hard exterior that he sometimes puts up, he is a very compassionate man. He never harmed us physically - ever, when he was drinking. As I sit and think of him, I am brought to tears.
When he was a young boy, he heard his mother speak words about his "accidental conception" to some of her lady friends one day over iced tea in their home. These words impacted him in a negative way and he held them inside, only telling my mom about them many years later. Sometimes the words spoken can negatively effect the hearer in ways that were NEVER intended. My father at the young age of twenty , lost his own daddy to a heart attack. While I realize many things come our way which will shape and form us or crush us, I am sometimes not too far from amazement that my father chose alcohol to be his coping mechanism.
When our father was ours, totally - he was ours totally! We had great times being made to feel like daddy's little girl. We had pillow fights. We went water skiing every weekend in the summer months. We had cookouts, sorry you didn't get to taste his grilled meats! We had oyster roast. We took vacations together. We went fishing often. We learned under his guidance to work hard. We had a good time.
I hope on this day that my earthly father will begin to understand the depths of the Heavenly Father's great love for him. May it be so that my daddy will yield himself to Christ Jesus and even at the age of sixty-five that my daddy will come to the understand of his purpose that has yet to be filled here on earth.
Lynnie, my husband too has heard the "accidental conception" story about himself, only his is shared with everyone (not just with lady friends). When I hear that story, I thank God for intervening in my MIL's attempts (3 methods!!) to NOT get pregnant. After one weekend where that story was shared, I asked my husband how he felt about that and he said that yes, it hurt knowing that his parents had not wanted anymore kids, but believed God had bigger plans! He rests in knowing that. May your father come to know and see and rest in knowing that God was in control and Loves Him. He's obviously a very special man! I hope he had a special day! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie, Amen (that he will come to know!)
ReplyDeleteHe is a very special man indeed.