Today is Father’s Day. I wanted to share a bit about three important fathers in my life…my dad, my husband and my son. Three generations yet in so many ways so very similar.
With my own father I learned so much about receiving and finishing strong. From my dad I received LIFE. If there was nothing else in the world to thank him for it would be enough…he gave me LIFE. But there is more. Many of my growing up years my relationship with my father wasn’t always great. There were some difficult years, but even in the midst of those I could always count on the fact that my dad loved me unconditionally. As he fought his won demons, he never once wavered in his love for his children. As I grew up and left home and then married myself and had 
children I watched my dad transform his life. I saw in him the character and perseverance that is rarely seen in people and I gained a whole new ‘adult’ respect and love for my dad. To our two children he was always ‘Grandpa Bill’…he wasn’t just Grandpa. I watched him swell with pride as he spoke about his three kids and his four grandchildren. I watched him care for my mom and his wife of over 50 years when she was stricken with Alzheimers. He never once gave up hope and always believed she still knew him, right up until the end of her life. It was hard to watch my dad have to deal with physical problems as he aged, but even then he maintained his unquenchable positive attitude and infectious smile. It was so difficult to lose him and to know he would no longer be here on earth cheering us on and forwarding all those email jokes…but Daddy, we know you are STILL cheering us on and someday we can laugh together again. We miss you. Thank you for FINISHING STRONG!!
Then there’s my Barry. With Barry I am able to participate in parenting, but always looking to him for ‘how to do it right’. From the moment in the delivery rooms when he ‘caught’ each of our children as they entered this world, until this very day there is no one who does
FATHERING better. I really could write a book about what I learned from watching Barry father our children. There was nothing he wouldn’t do from changing diapers to wiping tears to dancing the twist! He would rather spend time with his family than anything else on earth and it shows. He has kept a file folder, yes ‘old school’ paper folder,with special things from both of our kids, and even today he printed their Father’s Day Facebook posts. As a military dad who had to be gone a lot during our kids growing up years, I know it did NOT take anything away from the quality of his parenting. He would be so tired his eyelids would close on their own, and yet he was always attending to their needs, answering their questions, reading them stories or just BEING with them…and with me too. Both of our kids adore their father and he is for sure their hero…because he loves them totally and he shows and tells them this all the time. Now he gets to love on our wonderful daughter-in-law and Grandfather in the same way to David and Mikey. Each day I love this man more and participating with him in parenting is one of my greatest joys.
And now I have the total JOY of watching my son be a FATHER. Thanks to the miracle of technology I really DO get to see him parent and then when we are able to be together it’s even a greater joy. There was never any doubt that if God blessed Jonathan with a wife and a family he would be a great husband and father. He’s honest, caring, FUN,hard working and oh so giving. Like HIS dad he participates in all aspects of the boys lives, from diaper changing to bathing to just playing on the floor.He even let’s his creative juices flow and designs and bakes their birthday cakes every year. He gives them not only his unconditional love but his full attention. He lives before these little guys as a father who loves the Lord and loves their mom and loves them and what more could we ask? There is something unexplainable about watching your son be a parent. It brings me so much JOY.
So to these three generations of fathers, thank you. Thank you for loving ME unconditionally, thank you for loving your children unconditionally and thank you for the example you are to others. I am a daughter, wife and mother and now grandmother….. MOST BLESSED!!!
lookingbackandforth 
And that is how l hope that l will leave this world with the same strength and dignity and Daddy.
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Me too!
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