Happy Father's Day

As I've mentioned on occasion, my family was similar to "Leave It to Beaver". My dad worked 9-5 at a government job, in charge of several people. Then he'd come home between 5:45-6:00 every night, at which time he and my mom would go have alone time. After that we'd sit down to dinner as a family, my dad asking-and LISTENING- about our day. Then we'd have family time, playing or having family devotions. My dad was there for all of it, participating, wanting to spend QUALITY time with us.
At times my dad traveled a lot for work. But, when he came back from his trips he always had a surprise for me and my brother. He also started a tradition of hiding money in the rental cars, something my brother and I loved but were clueless to (We couldn't figure out why dad always got the "lucky" cars with money in them but we weren't complaining.) When he got home, he could've easily played the "tired card" but he never did. He wanted to know what he had missed while he was gone.
He was, and is, a calming presence with sound advice. When one of us got upset he would calmly assess the situation and react accordingly. He didn't get mad often so when he did we knew we were in the wrong. I remember one particular road trip where everything that could go wrong, did. He could've easily yelled and thrown things but instead he figured out a Plan B that would get us to our destination. He's always been good at the "Plan Bs". That's why he's the first person I go to when I need advice on BIG subjects. I know he'll listen first and give advice second.
Growing up, he was involved in our church. He was never "preachy" that I can remember but he led by example. He doesn't judge because he's made his fair share of mistakes. He was always the spiritual leader of the house, showing us God's unconditional love on a daily basis. He made sacrifices that I didn't learn about until much later in life. He lived without a lot of wants because of me and my brother. He prayed for us and lost sleep over us.
When people say I take after my dad that's the highest compliment I can be given. He's human so I know he's not perfect. But, in my 35 years, I have yet to find his flaws. He's my hero, someone I will always look up to, no matter how old I am. Happy Father's Day to my hero, the person I strive to be more like!!