My dad is one of my best friends. And I’m proud to say that I’m a lot like
him. All of his quirks that I used to
roll my eyes at, I realize I have. All
the things he found fascinating and I thought were less than, I now find
fascinating. He has left me a love of
knowledge, a passion for truth, an appreciation of art, music, and theater, and
his lovely, witty, corny sense of humor.
But the greatest thing that he passed down to me was a commitment
to prayer.
When I was little, I remember stumbling out of my room early
in the morning, nightgown crooked, sporting my bed head, Rainbow Brite in hand,
and peering down the hallway, peeking in at my dad. I’m not sure if he knows I did this to this
day. But I would watch him kneeling by
the couch, whispering so quietly. It seemed
as though he was unloading all of the thoughts on his heart. For whatever reason, I was fascinated by a
big, grown up man kneeling so low and whispering so quietly.
I remember one morning excitedly heading back to my room,
kneeling at my bedside and whispering to God the way that my dad did. I’ve never stopped. He was onto something.
I have no idea what he whispered to the Lord every
morning. Victories and challenges. Joys and pains. But whatever life brought us through for
years to come, I always remembered the man who brought himself so low and
stayed so quiet.
There are moments of life that are unkind. There are moments that are challenging. There are moments that are sheer joy. And in all those moments, I’ve learned to
come to the One who held my dad so steady.
My dad is intelligent.
He’s talented. He’s witty. He’s kind.
But most importantly, he is humble and wise. And even though he probably had no idea I was
spying on him, and though he didn’t know those quiet actions were the loudest
to me, he left me a legacy that I desire to pass down to my children, and them
to theirs.
Happy Father’s Day to a dad who has modeled to me what a
good man looks like when no one is looking.
I love you!
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