Father's Day

It is Father's Day. I see this as a day to thank God for the dad He gave to me.



I've posted about my adoption before (here, and here), but anytime these special days come around to remind me of who my parents are, I can't do that without recognizing how unique it is to be adopted.



I was a choice. While I've not ever really asked my parents about the process of the adoption, I know that it most likely involved interviews, a lot of waiting and patience, and lots of legal stuff. While they were going through all of that, I was just swimming in fluid doing my best to grow and then after my birth, I just laid around all day waiting to be served! I was pretty selfish as an infant!



Not my parents. Not my dad. He sacrificed a lot for me. I never knew how much goes into raising kids until I had Katie's kids come to live with me. It's tough. Even though I am not their parent, I recognize that at least during this season of life, I am responsible for them to some extent and I have an obligation in their growth, simply because I am an influence in their lives every single day. Because of my experience with them, I have come to a new understanding of what my parents did for me as I grew, from that first moment they took me home to live with them.



Katie recently wrote this:

Biblical Qualities of a Good parent



A good father provides nurture to his wife and family. He loves and respects the mother of his children. He is faithful and sets and example of God's intention for marriage which reflects His relationship with the church. The marriage is supposed to be a complete picture of the relationship He has with His bride, the church.



A good father is a man with Godliness, integrity, commitment, faithfulness, and love for his family. He is a provider and a protector. He sees that the children's mother has her needs met emotionally, physically, and spiritually. He does the same for his entire family. He seeks God's wisdom in all that he does. He cares for his children in the same manner. He is a man the children can look up to and learn about God's love through him. He sets an example for his children to follow that reflects God's character.



A good father is not lazy, he is kind, he is thoughtful, and hard working. He puts God first with his family sure to follow. He is self-sacrificing, dependable, strong in His faith, and a strong spiritual leader in his family. He spends quality and quantity time with his wife and children as he nurtures them. He is loved and respected by his wife and children for the man of faith that he is. He is a man to be cherished.

My dad provided nurture for me and my entire family. He loves and respects my mom and next week they celebrate their anniversary. He was the spiritual leader in our house growing up and taught me to revere God. He is a man of integrity, exemplifies commitment, and he loves his family. He always provided for us, and still does. He made sure that my mom was taken care of, and even took in Gram (my maternal grandmother) after Granddad died. She still lives with them today! Some thirty years! Dad taught me to make informed decisions and to be very careful with them. Heck, I still call him with important decisions I need to make...he is wise and discerning.



Dad went to work everyday. He didn't necessarily enjoy his job, but it is how it provided for the family he loves. Dad is very dependable and trustworthy and I am so thankful that he was so selfless as to adopt me!



I love my dad and I wish him the very best Father's Day, because he deserves it.



Happy Father's Day dad! I love you! (I'm assuming mom will have dad read this! LOL)