Father's Day

There is so much I could say about you, Chris, on this Father's Day.  But these are some things that come to mind on this day.  This is the post I began to write on his birthday.  He turned 39 this May, and I wanted to honor him with some words.  Well, life got in the way, and I never perfected them.  I realize now, they may not be perfect, but words from my heart, nonetheless.  So here they are. 

Here's to you.

[On top of the Minnesota State Fair, a few summers ago]

Chris knows me.  I've heard various pastors say that you should study your wife, that you should know her better than you know anything else.  Chris does this with me instinctively.  He never tires of asking about the (mostly boring) details of my day.  The laundry is piling up.  Blah, blah, blah.  The kids are fighting more than usual.  He listens, admits that it's hard, what I do here at home, but never lets me wallow too long.  He could teach a class on living with you wife in an understanding way.  After all, he has to live with me.

[Last year on my birthday, he surprised me with a girl's night with these dear friends]

The older the kids get, the better he becomes with them.  He was great with the babies.  He is great with toddlers, but he is especially good with our boys as they grow older.  He shepherds them without even knowing he's doing it.  He talks as he throws the ball back and forth in the evening, or as he clips their nails at night.  He's an example to them as they learn how to relate to people.  They watch him.  And it's fun to see them imitate him.  I can see a little of Chris in all their faces as they tell a good story.  I lost count of how many people have praised our boys for various reasons.  And it all comes back to him.  Chris is their dad.  Sure, I have a part too.  But he backs me up.  He is who they want to be like.

[At a Baylor football game this fall]

He is one of the most unselfish people I know.  He always takes me into consideration when he makes a decision.  He knows that home schooling 5 kids is a special (for lack of a better word) task.  While I do most of the work at home, he knows that I need to get away some in the evenings and weekends, for sanity.  He does it cheerfully.  He may be acting, but I feel he likes to do these things for me.  He is my biggest encourager.  Whenever I feel like I'm not doing much of anything important, he tells me otherwise.  Back to the unselfish part, he would be the first to do something cheerfully for a friend that he really didn't want to do, and probably take 2 or 3 kids with him to do it, to help me out.

[He is SO proud of all these boys]

We met when he was 27.  He was young and carefree, his life an open book ahead of him.

Now he's a bit tied down.  But he tells me often that he loves to come home to us in the evening.  What great security that gives me as his wife.  And the boys get to grow up seeing a dad who loves them, loves me, and loves Christ.

On this Father's Day.

I love you, Chris.

We love you, Daddy.

[Just after Cry Cry was born.  In case you were wondering, yes, he is about to cry]