Today is one of those bittersweet days where I wish I could be close enough to home to celebrate, but then again I was blessed with a great first day of classes here at Anderson University.
My dad has been through so much in his 56 years of life, and even though we don't get along as much as I'd like to, he's always there when I need him, and even when I just wanna make him mad by fixing my cup of coffee in the keurig first, he has his little fit and then moves on. My dad knows more than anyone I've ever met on history, and if you challenge him, he will show you up.
My brother and my dad are so much more alike than my dad would want to admit. Like father, like son that's for sure, but in the end I love them even more every day that I get to spend with them.
My dad lost his dad while he was a teenager, and had to step up to the plate and be the man of the family. He dropped out of college to support his family through the trade he and his dad practiced. He had a special needs sister who passed around the same time as his dad. He watched his mom fall in love with another man who would soon take the responsibility of the fatherly figure in his household. My dad had his whole plans changed one night by playing church basketball, and a broken toe changed his plans from going into the military, or he probably would have never met my mom. He has lost multiple friends along the way, more recently his parents, but he still continues to strive.
If you would have told my family that our world would be flipped upside down in 2006, I never would have believed you. My dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and suffered one of the biggest hardships of his life. He lost his managerial job at a company he had been at for years and had to start all over. He watched his parents suffer the same fate, only coming out victorious in the end with Jesus. He feared that he would lose everything he had worked for, but still persevered.
My dad is the true definition of a hero, he fought and overcame, he loved, he cared, he sacrificed, and though he might not be proud of himself all the time, I sure am. My dad means more to me than anyone ever could. He is not only my dad, but my coach, my partner in crime, and most importantly, my friend.
I got this sign for him for his birthday, and it's a true definition of my father from my point of view.
Joshua 1:9
...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
^^^^^^^true definition of my father.
I love my dad more than words can say, and I'm so thankful he has outlived the "expected" time that his dad and grandpa lived to be. My dad is a miracle, and I love him.
Happy birthday, dad!
Love,
Lauren.
No comments:
Post a Comment