Hey dad, oh yeah, this is for you. :) I know... you love public recognition. :P (Mwhahahaha)
Dad, you are the best dad ever. I've written "tributes" to you before and I've always loved you more than anybody in the whole world.
I'm going to post an old post from September and a letter I wrote in December... and then add my thoughts on the end.... Enjoy
Blog Post... September 27th, 2008
You know what is amazing? My dad and his attitude toward his sickness. He is constantly an awesome example of long-suffering. I remember when he first got sick, about 5 years ago in September. I was 8-9 when he first got sick. When September came, that meant going outside to throw the baseball and run around; fires and "cold" nights with hot chocolate and a good book. (I know - don't tell me - Floridian.) I loved hanging out with my dad. I was and am a total Daddy's Girl. No one was more fun than him. When he got sick, it devastated me. I couldn't do anything that I used to do. Mom was always helping dad, making soup for him or taking care of 2-3 year old Timmy. I don't know if she even slept at night. When dad got sick, I couldn't do anything that I used to do. No softball, no bike rides, no "Hi, daddy!" when he got home, because he didn't get home. He was always home, in bed or on the couch. He was always asleep or moaning. I didn't know what was happening. I thought he was dying or something. It took me about a year or two before I realized that this was God's weird way of blessing us. Uh, don't ask me what the blessing is - I'm not really sure. I know that it was a test for me, and it still is. I used to pray every night for him to get better, I still pray every night for him to get better. Nothing has really happened and everything has happened. I don't feel different and I feel totally different. I can't really explain it, except that God grew my faith since then. I have had to trust that Dad was going to be fine, trust that God was in control, trust the the doctors knew what they were talking about, trust that the medicine wasn't going to kill him, trust that all of this was for good. "for the good of those who love Him..." never was as confusing as it was then. Dad's unending faith in God was a great example to me of what a true man of God was. His sicknesses were trivial to what he deserved - and he knew that. He knew that he deserved eternal fire from Hell, yet he was given this gift of just Crohns Disease. Just a few years of sickness instead of an eternity. What is a few years of sickness when you have heaven staring you in the face - eternal happiness, eternal wellness, eternal worship to the Savior. This is just a blade of grass in a field. Trivial compared to what is around us....
We pray that God's will would be most important in our minds and lives. We know that whatever our holy, almighty, all-powerful God ordains is right.
The Letter... December 1, 2oo8
Daddy,
Sometimes, when I feel like I’m in so much pain, or I can’t finish something, I think of you. My pain is insignificant compared to yours. My trials are incomparable next to yours. I don’t know if you will ever understand that you inspire so many people with your long suffering. I am your living reminder of how many years you have lived without cancer. The past 5 or 6 years have been difficult, for you and our family. I, being the oldest child, felt the blow of your sickness more greatly than the others. I observed your sleepless nights and I counted the gallons of broth you consumed. I cried at night because my daddy wasn’t well. I wrote endless letters to you, I found about a quarter of them in your closet this morning. Some of them read, “Happy birthday dad, I love you so much” “Congratulations, you have won a free breakfast in bed, please expect French toast at 7 in the morning” “Are you ever going to give me the dollar for the tooth I lost 2 weeks ago?” “Can I please have a horse?” a list of questions about evolution and one that says “Daddy, I want to ask Jesus into my heart. I feel like I understand what he really did for me.” But the focal point of each note was “Daddy, please get better.” Every one of the letters that I wrote was proof of my love for you. It’s true; I’m daddy’s girl.
I was at a Sunday night prayer meeting earlier this year and everyone was praying for the sick people in the church, so I went up and prayed for you. I read Psalm 107:28-29, which reads, “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.” The bible says, “Pray and do not loose heart,” and, “So, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you.” And I, from the day you got sick 6 years ago, I haven’t stopped praying for you.
Dad, thank you for loving me. Every once in a while you tell me that you would die for me. That if we were on a sinking ship, and there was only one seat in the lifeboat, you would make me get in. And I cry every time you say it. But now, I just want to say, I’m gonna make room for you in that boat. Love you daddy.
My Thoughts... June 20th, 2oo9
Dad, you are an amazing example to all of us. I know people look up to you as someone they can follow... I look up to you as someone to follow... someone to hold my umbrella and yank me back under it when I go too far... someone to protect me... someone to watch Alfred Hitchcock with me... someone to laugh at... someone to talk to me when I'm wrong... someone to send stupid text messages to... someone to drive me around... someone to make fun of... someone to tell me to do stuff I don't really want to do... and someone to love me. I love you dad. Happy Fathers Day.
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