Saturday, June 18, 2011

{dearest dad}

Dearest Dad,
I wonder if you know how much you shaped my life?
Many girls 
grow up to 
{consciously or unconsciously}
look for a soulmate 
resembling their father.
In my own life I 
searched for a man with amazing qualities 
modeled after you.
Your example of being 
a man of God,
follower of Jesus,
led me to look for another
believer in Christ.
Your patience and unending devotion
to my beautiful Mother
led me to look for a man
of patience and deep love and devotion 
to marry.
{and as you well know, any husband of mine would have to have a LOT of patience!}
I would not have chosen such a good man
without your strong example.


Many girls 
grow up with fathers who are not
present in their lives.
You always were there.
You were there to make sure we were safe...
...to cheerfully wake us up
 at the crack of dawn
 on camping trips by peeking in our tents, singing "Rise and Shine"...

...to walk your daughters down the aisle...



...to preach your beautiful sermons at all the important events...

...to take us on amazing adventures on mountain tops,
in your indestructible blue windsuit,
singing Rocky Mountain High, 
making sure we all made it to the top...
Many girls
don't get to have a lot of quality time with their dads.
Although you worked a lot of hours
at multiple jobs
 to make ends meet
and do what God had called you to do,
you also made sure 
we had time with you.
You made us breakfast every morning before school
took us cross-country skiing, hiking, 
and on many, many journeys
involving canoes!

I can always picture you in the green Old Town,
paddling contentedly,
singing Sunshine on my Shoulders
{or anything John Denver.}
Or in the BWCA,
on "our island"
snoozing in the afternoon sun 
on the rocks...


Dad, 
you raised four strong, healthy kids...
one of them being quite a tempermental handful!
{*cough, cough*}
Just know that this "tempermental handful"
is grateful for all you have done for me,
the time you have spent,
and all the love
you continue to give
to us and now to
your grandchildren.

I am blessed to have a Dad like you

and our Baby Boy will be blessed to have
you as a Grandpa.

I love you!

your daughter,
Greta Robyn

  *   *   *
 Happy Father's Day, blogger friends!
g