On the Dads in My Life

Happy Fathers Day! I'm missing my own dear old dad today and wish I could honor him in person, but am thankful to be with my sweet husband and father-in-law.

I always knew when I married Chris that he would be a great dad. I have loved watching Luke become a Daddy's Boy. It's so precious to watch him observe everything Chris does and try to do exactly the same. I praise God for the daily sacrifices Chris makes for us. He juggles so many responsibilities in his life - work, school, studying, helping around the house, putting up with me, etc. And all the while, he is a loving and patient husband and dad. I am more thankful, though, for the spiritual head he is to our family. Since we were dating, Chris has challenged me in my personal life with Christ, just through his daily walk with God. He is faithful, disciplined and a man of convicition. He is giving to those around him, careful and wise with his words and kind and gracious to his family. I am so blessed to have this man be my husband and father of my children.

They say that sometimes you marry someone just like your own dad, and I was always a bit concerned that this might come true! While Chris is dissimilar to my dad in many ways (when we had one, he didn't clean the garage every week; he could care less about goats and snowmobiles; and as of his 26th birthday he still had a full, bushy and curly head of hair), I am gladly finding him to be like my dad in wise and noble character. (Chris is also known to "shhhh" me in true HP fashion.) By the time I reached highschool, I knew that my dad was one to thank God for. The man is faithful to every area of his life: his ministry/job, his church, and especially his children and wife. He spent lots of time with us and never put work over his family. Many times he went back to the office AFTER he tucked us in and told us a Bad Joey story. He taught us hard work (gardening, cleaning the goat pen, cleaning the garage, picking rocks, cutting alfafa for the goats - the list goes on and on!), wisdom with money and especially to be faithful to the body of Christ and care for those around us, especially if they were in need. He taught in all of these areas by his example; an example that his grandkids are starting to watch. Now he is busy acclimating Marco and Antonio to a summer in the garden and all of those other wonderful jobs. He'll be happy to point out to you that he has the same number of children, and girls and boys, that his dad did: 7 children, 4 boys, 3 girls.

I bragged about my mother-in-law on Mother's Day, and today I'm happy to tell you I have a matching set of the world's greatest in-laws (except, I have to say, Chris has pretty good in-laws too!). My father-in-law does so much for me; some would say I'm spoiled (although I've noticed a decrease in the attention since grandbabies came along). Not many people enjoy the comfortable relationship that I do with my father-in-law; I'm so thankful for his love and care for us. He would give the shirt off of his back for his family. The support that he gives Chris and I as we follow God's plan for our life means so much to us. And, as has been proven in the last two years, he is a SUPERB grandpa!

I cannot close this post without giving thanksgiving to God for the precious grandpa I still have with me. He will be 89 years young in a week or so, and his life has been filled with God's gracious goodness, provision and sovereignty. I get my sensitive nature from my grandpa (Salesky's have bladders under their eyes), and he has often told any willing listener of the day that he was redeemed by Jesus, all while tears fall down his wrinkly face. My grandpa is a treasure to me, and it is hard for me to be so far away from him. I am blessed to be named in his prayers, I am sure. And I pray that he always knows I love him and am following Jesus in this life.

Ah, well that's enough for now, lest I get myself and my mother too blubbery. All that to say, I praise God for the father he's given me, my husband, my mom and - most of all - the father he's given to my son.