Happy Father's DAY

Guess who is on their tip toes in the picture?  

I love all of these men so much. 

I've been missing my dad today.  I re read what I said at my Dad's funeral and I re read his obituary..and it felt good.  Dad would walk into the room and say, "It walks. It talks. It wiggles like a snake.  It's almost human!"  or he would say this when  one of us kids walked into the room, just outta bed looking disheveled.  He said it a lot.  I can hear his voice in it.

Write Brooke Romney penned this and I just love so much of what it has to say.

 Dear fathers of today,

You amaze us.

We watch you rock babies, change diapers, coach soccer & still work, pursue hobbies, and volunteer. It’s incredible.

We admire your patience & teaching. You are great at explanations & apologies. We weren’t always so humble.

You are creative and less rigid. You allow your children to explore and support passions you never had.

We wish we would have kept things a little lighter, smiled more, spoken more calmly & reprimanded less.

Dads love to give advice, so ...

Don’t let technology raise your children. Resist that easy road.

Kids needs firm but loving discipline. It is OK to set boundaries & enforce consequences.

Make your kids work & earn money, even when no one else has to.

Do not define yourself by your paycheck. Money can create ease, but it does not create happiness.

Love & respect your spouse. If marriage is difficult, do all you can. Forgive, love, go to counseling.

If you are a single father, you are still a father. Support your children in every way. Never let hurt or anger toward an adult cloud the way you feel about your kids.

Take care of your parents. Joy comes from loving those who have loved you.

Make memories with your kids. Have 1:1 time. Be present.

Be secure enough to not be disappointed when your children choose a different path.

Encourage humility in success and grace in defeat.

Allow your children to fail, and when they do, share in their pain.

Different stages of life can be stressful, but they are stages. Things get better. One day you will miss the chaos.

Teach your children to solve their own problems, then trust them to deal with the outcome.

You cannot force faith, but you can teach about God, service, forgiveness & love.

We are sure we didn’t do everything right, but we look at you and see that somehow, someone makes up the difference.

There are times we wish we could swoop in and make it easier, but we would never rob you of those refining moments. You are becoming something greater than we had ever hoped.

We don’t say it enough, but we are so proud of the men you have become.

❤️,

Dads of yesterday