Father's Day

Father's Day, Hallmark marketing boon holiday that it is, should be a day to celebrate. Have a cook out, buy an ugly tie, go golfing. And we will do that around here, party, eat too much, drink too much, have a ball.

But our hearts are heavy this year. It is a delicate thing to blog about people close to you. One the one hand, who else would you want to talk about more? On the other hand, everyone's privacy needs to be respected. But I could not talk about what is going on in my life right now and not mention our dads.

My dad, and Pat's dad are both sick. Some things are known, some are not yet known. What is known, is that they are both in the last place any one of us wants them to be. One of them is close, and one is about as far away as he can be. To tell the truth, I don't which of these situations is the hardest.

When I think about their illnesses, and the possibility we could lose either of them, my first thought is of my kids. I know some adults who have never lost anyone close to them, never attended a funeral. This is not the case for my kids. In the last three years, they have lost a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a very young and beautiful aunt. Growing old, sickness and death are all a part of the beautiful circle of our lives, and all in God's plan. This may be lost on children at such tender ages, and I fear their hearts being broken yet again by something they do not yet fully understand.

I will trust the Great Physician to know what is best for these dads of ours. I will do what I can, and try my best not to lament what I can not. I will do everything fully trusting a loving and knowing God, who carries me and strengthens me through every moment of my life.