With Father’s Day almost upon us, I wanted to take a few minutes to write about things that I’m grateful to my own husband, dad and father in law for. The more I began to think about how my father was and father in law was, the more I started to understand how wonderful God our Heavenly Father is to us.

As a child we take our fathers for granted. When I think of my father I thought of a guy that worked hard for what he got. He seemed tough on the outside, but every so often he would so the softer side. Dad taught us that we needed to know about cars. It didn’t matter that most of us were girls. That was an even better reason to understand and know how to fix a car just in case.

When I think about my Father in Law Harold, I think about a man who had a rough exterior and didn’t show much emotion. But when my daughters were over there, you could see how much he loved them. When we would go home from visiting them, he would have his head hung low and I could see how lonely he was and how much he enjoyed having us all around. He passed away around Fathers Day in 2004.

God isn’t one to pass up a teaching opportunity. Yesterday I was at Gunlock State Park here in Southern Utah. There was a father and son in a fishing boat. I asked the father if I could take a picture of him with his son because it was their first time.

I could see the excitement on his young son that couldn’t have been over 5 yrs old. Once they made it to the shore to set up their tent, the dad was obviously a well experienced tent put together kind of guy. Along comes his son with his little tent poles and working hard at getting it put up. Together they set up their camping site and was on to bigger and better fish to fry, literally.

It’s not easy teaching a boy how to become a man or, but this dad was trying to find a way. It may take gentle coaxing, it may involve some kicking and screaming, but in the end. Teaching your son how to grow is both the greatest blessing and challenge God can give a father.

I bet some are thinking I would leave out my husband when it comes to this Fathers Day post, and I might have, but won’t. Chuck and I have been married for almost 33 yrs. We have one daughter that we had naturally and one we adopted. He has always loved them both the same. Chuck has a rough exterior too, but actually a big teddy bear when it comes to some things. He has always been easier on the girls than I have been. Maybe because they are girls, but he does love them and would not hesitate on decking someone if they hurt them. They may be in their 30’s, but they are still his girls.

A father is someone who will always be there, firm but with arms open to say, “I love you. I will always love you.”

Share your Favorite Fathers Day Memory