To the father of my (future) children…

To the father of my (future) children,

Today is Father’s Day. For us today is the day that we celebrate my dad and your dad and thank them for all that they have done for us.
It will come and go and we will not think much of it until next year.

But today I thank God for my father, who taught me how to act right while still allowing me to have my stubborn and strong-willed personality. He recognized my potential and spent time pruning me and training me to be a functional member of society.
I thank God for the times when I sat in my daddy’s lap, cheek pressed against his grey Army t-shirt, breathing in the scent of a hard day’s work. I felt so small in his arms. In my eyes, my daddy could do anything! He knew how to fix everything, and he knew the answers to all the questions I could ever come up with!
I thank God for the times that my dad punished me for breaking the rules. I received ample warnings and subsequent spankings when I did not heed those warnings.  I spent many a week grounded and sitting in my room alone with only my books and my thoughts for company. I thank God that my father followed through with punishments, teaching me that there are always consequences for my actions.
I thank God for the times my dad was vulnerable with me.
I thank God for the moments when I was sick, scared and sleepless and my dad spent the time sharing his life story with me, baring it all: the good and the bad.
I thank God for giving me such an amazing and godly man to call Dad.

And today I thank God for your father, who raised you to be the man you are today. I thank God that your parents allow us to live with them during this transitional time in our lives. I am thankful that I am able to see firsthand where you learned to be an exceptional man.
Your father is thoughtful and selfless.
He puts your mom and you first.
He is kind and generous.
He works hard.
He loves big.

 

So, David Siler, it is with full confidence that I can say you will make the best father to our children one day.
I see in you all the best qualities of your father and mine. You give so much of yourself and expect nothing in return. You love with your whole heart.
A few years ago, when I was still giving out strikes to guys on eHarmony, I knew that I wanted to marry someone who was a lot like my dad. Why? Because I knew that I wanted my children to have a father who loved and cared for them as much as my dad did for me and my sister.I am so blessed to have found you, a man who values fatherhood and wants to be a parent as much as I do.

One day we will have kids to call us “Mom” and “Dad”. Right now our “kids” are the ones we see once or twice a week at church. You might not think of yourself as a father yet, but I see you as one. You care about those kids and about where they end up. You sacrifice your time and energy to minister to them and teach them. You play with them. You lecture them. You’re a role model in their lives. For some of them, you’re probably the only decent male influence. I’ve seen you invest real time into some of them. I’ve seen you speak proudly of their accomplishments.

Sure, it’s frustrating when they can’t be serious. It’s heartbreaking when you can’t get through to them. Because you want what’s best for them.

That’s being a father.

So happy Father’s Day to my dad, your dad and YOU.