Always Daddy's Girl

1000 BLESSING'S FRIDAY

Where has the time gone? It's been almost a month since I have posted any blessings. Even though my family is going through some uncertainties I see God's blessings everyday. Whether it be a friend calling from out of the blue just when you need her most or realizing that I am not so wobbly anymore and using my crutches less and less!

Today, though, I would like to do my post a little differently. You see, one year ago my father passed away. It's hard to believe it has been a year already. I still have on my caller i.d. when the nursing home called to let me know my father had died. For some reason I cannot delete it. And that's okay too.

So for today's post I would love to share how my father was a blessing to me growing up!

206. Being a Kroger store manager meant dad worked sixty hour weeks a week. But when it came to spending time with me and my brother he always had time. Always. We were never told no, now now, maybe later. If he had an errand to do we were always invited to go along. We always said yes. Dad made even a trip to the hardware store an adventure! We were blessed with his time and blessed, too, with a mother that also needed his company, but knew the importance of spending time with his kids.

207. We had the same sense of humor. My mother babysat from the time I was ten until dad got sick. Dad and I saw the humor in the kids and enjoyed just being in the midst of all of them! On his days off he would help my mom with the kids and do whatever was needed. My dad kept a bottle of water in the fridge and when he would get a drink all the kids would follow him and beg to have some of his "special water". That was one way he got them to drink water instead of wanting Kool Aid all the time. Smart man. Even when dad could no longer speak I would remind him of things we laughed at and is eyes would just light up and he smiled. I knew he was laughing on the inside. So a definitely blessing in my home was laughter. And lots of it!

208. Blessed to have a father that wasn't afraid to cry. He and I went to see The Hiding Place when I was a little girl and we both sobbed all the way through it. He cried at church when a sermon touched his heart. He cried often for me when I was in pain and couldn't walk. Or when the lab tech would try to get blood and they couldn't. I knew how much he loved me because of all the tears he shed for me.

209. Patience! My father was the most patient man I have ever come in contact with. He never yelled or lost him temper. Ever! I didn't know people actually yelled or got angry until I was in my teens and heard it from my friends. Seriously. And even when he got sick with Parkinson's he could have easily been demanding. He was a model patient. He never complained or asked why. He was thankful for the care my mom and us kids gave him. He was a trooper and a fighter. Can you imagine going without tasting food or having a drink of anything for over a year? I cannot even fathom the idea. When he could speak I told him that he was very brave and courageous when he could be the total opposite. He told me he learned patience from watching me. Oh, how that made me cry. And still does to this day. Maybe in the big picture this is one reason why I was allowed to have arthritis. Only God knows. But I do know if I start to complain about not being able to get around as fast as I want I quickly remember my father who couldn't move anything for a year and did so without complaint. But he's moving now!!!

210. But the biggest blessing I could receive from my father is seeing Christ in him on a daily basis. I was witness to how a husband and father should lead his family. We had devotions as a family, which I cherish to this day. He was a good provider for his family. He was gentle and soft spoken and didn't have to get angry to get his point across because we respected him as a father and a husband and was willing to obey and please him. He wasn't self seeking. In all he did he tried to glorify God. I know dad wasn't perfect because none of us are, but he was as close as a person can get!

I am thankful to have had him for 43 years. Not a day goes by that I don't think of him and smile. My mother, brother and I know how truly blessed we were to have him as head of our household. There are so many more ways he blessed me and I could write about him all day long, but I'll stop for now. Thank you for letting me share this today. And as a favor to me please call a loved one and let them know how much they truly mean to you!