A Tribute to my Dad on Father's Day

I'm a Daddy's girl. You know how I know this? This week, I went to Hallmark to get a few birthday cards, a graduation card, and Father's Day cards. I saved my Dad's card for last...the Father's Day section was really crowded and I was hoping some people would clear out. Why? Because I can't read through cards about how wonderful my Dad is without tearing up. So there I was, holding my stack of cards, reading through these beautiful verses, tears welling up in my eyes and a lump forming in my throat. I can't even watch commercials with sentimental Father-Daughter scenes! I'm a sucker for my Daddy.

I know I've been extremely blessed when it comes to my family. I have so many friends who didn't get to grow up with two parents who truly love each other and provide such a glowing example of a supportive, stable, and happy marriage. I know now how rare this is, and I'm so incredibly thankful that God placed me in this family. Motherhood and fatherhood are so important to both little boys and girls, and especially as I grow older, I see more and more how they have influenced me, taught me, and loved me well.

I have always admired my Dad so much (uh oh! here comes that lump in my throat!). He is a very smart and loving man of integrity. Every time I meet one of his patients or someone who works with him, they tell me what a wonderful man my father is--they don't have to say that, but they always do. I always have loved that my father is the kind of man who people adore and respect.

My father is the person mostly responsible for instilling a strong moral compass in me, as he is naturally that kind of person himself. "Doing the right thing" has always been present in my conscience. In school, I would always tell the teacher when I had a wrong answer on a test and they accidentally gave me credit for it. I couldn't stand to not be honest or not do what I knew to be right, and I know that came from my father, and from his father before him.

Perhaps what a little girl needs most is to know without a doubt that her daddy loves her and will protect her. I never felt any less than completely loved and secured by my Dad. To this day, I have never questioned that. This helped lead me to two very important things: First, when I learned about the love my Father God has for me, and that He will never leave me nor forsake me, I didn't need much convincing. I think that the Gospel was so easy for me to accept when I was a teenager because God has already taught me so much about Himself through my earthly father. I could truly understand the love of God and Jesus Christ because I had a very strong taste of that through my Dad. Even before my Dad knew Christ the way he knows Him now, he was being used in my life to teach me about God's love.

Secondly, the way my father loved me and the way he loved my mom is what helped me to recognize that character in the man who is now my husband. By watching my Dad with my mom, I learned at a young age what true love in marriage looks like. I learned how a wife should be treated and adored. When I met my husband, something clicked. There are many reasons why that "click" took place, but I believe God used my parent's marriage, particularly how my Dad loved my Mom, to help me to recognize that in my own partner. That's a priceless lesson.

I continue to think about doing what my Dad would be proud of or what he thinks would be the right thing to do. I can't help it--its ingrained in me. Sometimes I even hear his voice in my head. I truly hope that it never goes away.

I cried while watching tributes to Tim Russert this weekend. Not only will I miss his insightful interviews and good humor, but I think it particularly struck a chord in me because in some ways he reminds me of my own father. They are both really smart, loving family men, and men who really loved their own fathers, which in turn gives them the desire to be good fathers themselves. My heart was breaking for Tim Russert's family...even thinking about losing my Dad is one of the scariest thoughts I could possibly imagine.

So in closing, I'd like to post a quote from Tim Russert's book about his Dad:

“I have learned so much from Big Russ, and I feel so grateful to him, that I wanted to write a book about the two of us, and also about the other important teachers in my life, who have reinforced Dad’s lessons and taught me a few new ones…I hope this book will encourage readers to think about the things they learned from their father. Whatever we achieve and whoever we are, we stand on their shoulders.”

Whatever I achieve and whoever I am, I stand on your shoulders, Dad.

I love you. Happy Father's Day.