Dad

 

I know I posted this picture a few years ago, but no picture seems to capture the love between a dad and his daughter better than one of him walking her down the aisle. Or at least that's the case for me :) And I will repeat myself again by saying I love this picture! I hope to have one just like it of Bret and Mollie some day. But that is an entire post in and of itself.

This post is about my Dad. A man who I admire second only to my husband. A man of integrity, loyalty, hard work, sacrifice, humor, and most of all, faith.

Thank you Dad for living a life of integrity and strong character. Thank you for expecting the same out of us. We were never able to coast by in anything we did. We were expected to give it 100% and to do it right the first time. This lesson has come in handy more times than I can count. Thanks for expecting us to make good choices and to live to a higher calling than what the world had to offer.

Thank you for being a man of loyalty. Your loyalty to God is evident in all you do. Thank you for being a loyal and faithful husband to mom. Your loyalty in marriage provided such a solid foundation for our family. Thank you for being a loyal Dad and Papa. There is no doubt about it, your kids and grand kids feel incredibly loved by you!

Thank you for teaching us to work hard in life in word and by example. While it was hard having you travel when we were young, you did an amazing job providing for your wife and family. Your work ethic challenged me to find a husband who worked as hard as you do. (I did!) Even though I grumbled a lot about working as a kid, thanks for not letting me slack off. Bret really appreciates it :)

Thanks for making sacrifices for our family. As a kid, I could not even comprehend the amount of sacrifice you made for our family. But now as a parent, I get it. Thank you!

Thank you for making life fun! You have this uncanny way of never letting us take ourselves too seriously. You embarrassed us as teenagers, made fun of us kids, and taught the ability of being able to laugh at ourselves. Thanks for passing on your gift of quick wit and sarcasm :)

But more than any of the previous qualities, thank you for living a life devoted to God. Your walk with the Lord has shaped who you are and the kind of father you are. You sought Christ daily and taught us to do the same. You prayed for us and with us. You challenged us to make decisions that would honor God. You took us to church every Sunday and taught us how to be active in our churches. Thank you for loving us the way that Christ loves the church, sacrificially and unconditionally. Even though we probably made it difficult at times :)  You love for God is something that I pray I can pass on to Mollie and our future children, Lord willing.

Dad, you are amazing. I am so blessed to be your daughter. I love you!

Love,
Katie