November is full of celebrations, one of them being Dad's homecoming. It's kind of a weird thing to celebrate. I guess we don't really celebrate so much as we all get together in memory of him. Some years are harder than others, but it's always good to be together on this day. It forever changed each of us and there's no one better to spend it with than the ones who loved him most.
We had and have an amazing Dad who taught us first and foremost about Jesus Christ, about our desperate need for salvation which comes only through Him, and about his sovereignty over all aspects of our life. He also taught me to be selfless, to laugh at myself rather than being vain, to work hard, to be generous, to love and support my people well, to be quick to say I'm sorry, and to trust God with all the things I don't understand. These are just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of what he taught me.
One of the hardest parts of this day is simply acknowledging the passage of time. It's hard to be okay with all the big things he's missed. Even though we trust that this was God's timing it's still really hard to look around and realize that life has continued on without him, yet that's just what it has done.
I wish I could see him now in our home stuffed full of his grandkids, and kids, and spouses. I wonder if he would have been overwhelmed by all the chaos like he was when we were kids? I'm sure there would have been moments, but I kind of think he would have loved it and would have enjoyed reminiscing with my mom about all of their own crazy shenanigans when we were growing up. I believe that he would be proud of each of us as we do our best to live Christ centered lives and to raise our children to do the same. So on this day each year I reflect on the role he played in my life, I remember my favorite memories and the sound of his laughter, and though I truly wish we had had longer, I'm so thankful that I had such a wonderful Dad!
This year Great Grandpa was here in Oregon to join us. He's very sweet with the little ones and though it always makes me a little nervous when he scoops them up, it is also so endearing to watch him love on them!
There was one trip home from Oregon to California that we decided to stop for dinner on our way to the airport. Dad wanted to go to the Outback and assured us that "We've got time!" Well unfortunately or fortunately because it's become a sweet memory, we didn't have quite enough time and when we went to check in our bags they told us we had missed the deadline by 5 minutes and would have to catch another flight the next day. We quickly called Dad to turn around and pick us back up and we got to spend one extra day in Oregon. From that point on it became a bit of a joke and now it's that plus a somewhat sobering reminder that we don't always have all the time in the world so we better use it well.
In Dad's memory we usually make a favorite Outback meal, Alice Springs Chicken plus all kinds of yummy sides!
Thankful for this family of ours.
No comments:
Post a Comment