Ok, I know it isn't Father's Day anymore and I'm a day late with this post. But I spent most of yesterday actually spending time with my dad, so I think that absolves me of any guilt here :)
My dad is one of the most loving men I know. He is intelligent, curious, skilled, inventive, creative, efficient at anything he does, a deep thinker, and so on, but under it all there is this core of love and concern for the people close to him. He is so generous, not just in the typical sense of the word but with his time and energy as well - he has always taken the time to learn about what my siblings and I were interested in so that he could enjoy those things with us, and no matter how busy or stressed he has been about work, he has always made time to spend with us. There have been times when I've misread his concern as criticism of choices I've made (as in, why are you worrying about me? Do you think I've done something foolish or wrong?), but he has never meant it that way.
I think one of my favorite recent moments with my dad was at my wedding rehearsal a few weeks ago, when we were waiting in the pastor's office for our turn to enter the sanctuary, and we just talked. Not about the future, or plans, or worries - just about ideas and thoughts and books and the present. It was like when I was younger and told him all my thoughts about everything, without any stress or fear of not measuring up, because I finally realized what I've been confused about for the past couple years: my dad loves me for who I am, and would do pretty much anything for me. His goal isn't to criticize my choices, just to dialogue about them with me to help me think through them thoroughly and make the best decision. And then the next day I got to walk down the aisle with him, and he gave me away - but everything he gave me and taught me and showed me through his example I will carry in my heart for as long I live.
Thank you for everything, Dad :)
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