Spring is here and I am so happy! I seem to have so much more energy
when it is warm outside and the days are longer. We went to my
dad's house for my Grandma's 83rd birthday last weekend and I was
reminded again how much I enjoy my family. I have two sisters adopted
from China who are 8 and 12 and I love hanging out with them. I can't
wait until Henry can hang out there with the chickens and the bunnies
and swim...what a blessing. My dad is different now then he was when we
were young. Not completely but different. It seems that with age you
figure out what is important, what battles to choose and which ones to
fight. I am so proud of him for the dad he was to me when I was young,
but I love to watch the changes and the growth from then to now. And I
love love love it that the Lord planted my two sweet sisters in my
family before Henry was a glimmer in our eyes. Isn't it fun to step
back from your life and admire God's workmanship? How everything is
woven together and blends so beautifully? I wonder why we doubt the
future...even as we face trials and unknowns...shouldn't we be excited
about what they will look like in five years?
Dad and his kids |
I watched my wedding video last night and sat in wonder at where
the time went. Wasn't it just yesterday that I had Ben? Could it have
been 22 years ago that I married the man of my dreams? And even more
amazing is the transformation in me. It seems like yesterday that my
dad and I were struggling to find the light of day...we were both
disasters willing ourselves to make life work. I talk about my mom a lot
and what I learned from her, when I think about my dad I think I
learned sheer, raw determination. There is nothing my dad is afraid of
and when he sets his mind, there is very few things that will stop him.
He has always been my hero, not because he's perfect....hahahah...he's
far from that....but because he is a good man. He taught me what a good
man is and that even though they are rare, they exist. He might be
rough around the edges...may not always say the right thing...and rarely
will he say it delicately, but he is good, and that is more important.
So here's to the last 28 years, Dad...because of God, honesty and that raw determination we both came out ok.