Father's Day

It makes me sad to think that some people don't know who their dad is, especially because I've been blessed with one of the best. From the time I was young I remember my dad always being there for me. He's always been a great listener and patient as the day is long. He's a natural leader, one who respects others and expects respect in return. He is one of the most non-judgmental people I've ever met and is quick to forgive. When people have wronged him he has been quick to look at the lessons learned from the situation or has forgiven them. Don't get me wrong. He may be quick to overlook people's faults, but he's not a pushover. He'll confront people and attempt to talk out issues when needed. But, overall, he's an easy going guy who knows life is too short to sweat the smaller things.

He's always been a hands-on dad. I used to lay on his lap in the evenings, watching TV. Or we'd pull out a board game (I personally liked Monopoly) to play. He'd lead us in family devotions and read to us. When he went on business trips, he'd bring home rental cars that always lead me and my brother on treasure hunts for the loose change that "people" would drop all around the car. As I got older, his hands-on roles became different. In high school, he spent endless hours helping me with Math (to no avail). He helped me obtain my first job at a local flower shop. He took me out on Father/Daughter dates.

Now, as a mom to two adolescent boys, he's quick to give me parenting advice. He listens when I call just to chat or when I need help solving a problem. He prays with me over the phone. And, at the end of most phone calls, he says, "You know if you need anything, day or night, all you have to do is call." That simple statement speaks volumes for how he wants me to know he's always available to help me no matter how old I get or how far away I live.

Speaking of where we live, he (and my mom) have always made it a point to visit us at every house we've lived at so he can see where we live and create memories in our space. It's important to him to support us (even when he doesn't agree with us) and to see for himself where we call home. 

He enjoys being a hands-on grandparent to his 4 grandkids. When we visit him, he teaches the boys new things. He plays tennis with them and watches them play ball in the backyard. He sets up the tent so they can have campouts in their backyard, which is always a favorite of the boys. He takes them fishing and helps get the catfish off the hooks when the boys aren't comfortable doing it. He talks sports with P and asks him questions to engage him and learn from him. But, most importantly, he invites the boys to do nightly devotions with him and my mom. He has always known his role as a spiritual leader. He's led by example with his quiet, yet undeniable, faith in God. He is quick to give God the glory and pray for others. The boys see that and, I pray, learn from that.

So, today and every day, I am thankful for my dad. I am thankful for the example he's provided for me and my brother ever since we were little. I am thankful that he's always been there and continues to support us, even as adults. I know it sounds cliche, but my dad is my hero and I am so thankful that God blessed me with him.

Perfection

 I feel like I've blogged about this before so if I have, forgive me. I am no longer a beach person. I enjoy different aspects of the beach, but the "sand in your toes, saltwater in your hair" feeling is not my thing anymore. One thing I thoroughly enjoy, however, is scouring the beach for seashells. Last weekend Rob and I went to the beach to celebrate (early) our 15th anniversary.  We had a couple kid-free days there, which we enjoyed. During our 48 hours alone we went to the beach once and that was only for a few minutes. However, once the boys arrived, we more than made up for the time on the beach. E taught himself how to skimboard and P, being a teenage boy, got the attention of a few girls (much to his delight). 

Me? I spent the time looking for shells. The boys know how much I like collecting seashells so they got in on the action as well. The thing is that when I look for shells I only collect the absolute perfect ones. If there is any type of flaw or the shell looks too ordinary I toss it back. The boys will collect any shell that grabs their attention and get excited about adding it to my collection. 

While walking on the beach I reflected on this. It's much like how I view life. I am a perfectionist...to a fault. I put a lot of undue pressure on myself to do everything as perfectly as possible. Unfortunately, I push those expectations onto others in my life as well....my family, my students, people I come across on a daily basis. And I get frustrated when my expectations are not met. But the boys still see the good in others and not their imperfections. Yes, they will make comments about people or things they observe. But, they don't expect perfection from people. 

I need to learn a lesson from them and from the seashells. There's beauty in every shell and every person. Sometimes we have to look a little harder to see the good, but it's still there. Not everything has to be perfect to be enjoyed. If the service is a little slow at a restaurant that just means we have more time to visit or enjoy the relaxation. If a student doesn't do a perfect job on their test then I hope they learned from their mistakes. If I don't complete a task perfectly the first time I have the chance to fix it or start over. I need to start looking at things from a different perspective because life is too short to stress about imperfections. Just like the seashells, everything in life has its own beauty and its own style of some sort of perfection.

Miracles and Saying Goodbye

 A couple weeks ago, on a warm Thursday morning, I was waving goodbye to my students for the last time this school year when a text from Rob came through. It was a picture of my side by side laying on its side, with "They're fine but both are scared and crying.". It's a picture that no one wants to get, but I have thanked God on more than one occasion that both boys walked away from the accident with only some road rash. (Actually, one RAN away because he was scared that the cops were going to come! HA!) The boys were driving to their favorite fishing hole, which is about 2 blocks from our house. When they tried to make the turn, a water bottle was lodged under the brake pedal so they turned at about 25mph. I am incredibly THANKFUL that it wasn't worse!

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for an ATV accident that happened a mere three days later. Two kids were diving a 4-wheeler in between their houses when a car hit them from behind. Both kids were airlifted to the local hospital. Sadly, the 6 year old boy did not live. Praise Jesus, the 10 year old girl was discharged from the hospital yesterday. The little boy went to our school and his mom works there. I didn't  know him all that well but we parked next to him, his mom and his big brother every morning. They'd get out of the car at the same time as us and little Keigan always had a huge, infectious grin on his face. He held the door open for us and would skip into school as if it was his favorite place to be. 

When I first got the text about the accident, I asked Rob if we could stop by the hospital on our way home from the river to give hugs. I didn't know what we would find, but knew I wanted to be there to offer prayers and support. Not surprisingly, Keig's mom was not outside the hospital but we were able to get updates from co-workers and the little girl's family. (Her grandpa was covered in the kids' blood.) I prayed for 48 hours non-stop that God would provide a miracle and pull sweet Keigan out of his coma. We had a prayer vigil at the school, where at least 150 people attended. But, God had other plans and took him from this Earth last Tuesday afternoon. Since then, the community has come together even more to support each other, his mom and brother. Yesterday the school hosted a rock painting party to create a rock garden in Keigan's honor. Today was his visitation and tomorrow will be his memorial service. The service will be at a large local church because that boy touched so many lives in his short almost 7 years of life. He was a kind, sweet young boy who will be missed so incredibly much!

While I'm grieving the loss of Keigan, I am thanking the Lord that He spared our boys. I can't fathom the heartbreak that Virginia is going through, knowing she will never hold Keigan again. But I am not taking for granted the fact that I can hold and hug our boys whenever I want. Life is short so please make sure you hug your loved ones a little tighter and a little longer....