Tales of Dads

It has been a week! Whew! It began rather low-key, as my mother-in-law flew in to visit and be here for my now eight year old’s birthday celebration. As we watched some true crime shows and I sewed three bunting banners for the party, everything seemed quite mundane (and I was okay with that). Thursday came, and my mother-in-law ended up falling in the driveway, incoherent, and rushed to Vanderbilt in an ambulance. Let me say, I could have done without that…excitement. Thankfully, it was not a stroke, she recovered well, and is back home safe and sound. That was a long night, and made for long days as I held down the fort here alone, which is why I am a bit behind!

I do not want to skip and hop right past Father’s Day without celebrating some amazing men in outlives, so even though it is a little after the fact, GO DADS! We ate barbecue after church, which is alright with me since I did no food preparation and brisket is my favorite! So, dads…

Do you have any great memories with your dad? To girls, dads play a vital role in healthy development into adulthood as a lady! The impact they have on us is beyond words!

When I think of my own dad, he never really embarrassed me. He was always super concerned about being embarrassed himself, so I probably embarrassed him more.

He used to give me a piece of Dentyne gum each Sunday during the church service in elementary school. I can still taste the sharp cinnamon taste of the treat.

I remember he gave the worst looks when I began to get too loud or wiggly during Sunday evening church services.

He built a cool treehouse in our large backyard in Olive Branch, Miss. out of scrap lumber from nearby houses. There, he also let me mow the grass on the riding lawnmower and I loved it. He pulled a wagon behind the lawnmower for my brother and me to ride in, and would go the fastest the little machine could go, and purposely drive over hills so we would fall out and laugh hysterically we could barely get up to get back in.

He helped me with my math - I always hated that subject, but he likes it and is in his accounting line of work.

He attended basketball games where I cheered in high school and helped me pay for private lessons with the University of Kentucky cheerleaders when I prepared for college cheerleading tryouts. He also attended college football games where I cheered.

He did not get annoyed when I cried the night before every speech I had to give in speech class in twelfth grade.

In elementary school, he took me and my siblings home from church while my mom stayed for choir rehearsal. After we were ready for bed, we had a wrestling fight where we were tickled so hard we could barely breather and a few rounds of hide and seek - in the dark.

Good times, good times.

Regardless of good memories or painful memories of our dads, we have one Dad Who knows us better than any earthy dad could. When children need their parents, they run into the room without knocking, boldly knowing that they will be heard and recognized. They do not think twice and they take comfort knowing their parents are there.

Through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sin, we also have boldness to enter His presence, where He will always love and listen (Hebrews 10:19). We can draw near to Him with assurance that He is always faithful. Praise the Lord!

Love,

Charis