Today…what a day today should have been…a day to celebrate the birth of this amazing man. My Papa. My Dad. My friend. My supporter. My encourager. My praying Father. Husband. Papa. Father-In-Law. Grandpa. Friend.
He would have been 91 today. This June it will be 13 years since he was called home.
The ground is frozen and covered in feet of snow. There is no physical way to get to his his final resting place to leave anything in remembrance of this special day.
But I will always remember him in my heart. This year as much as the first year. Maybe even more so.
27 years ago, Keith and I married on my Dad’s birthday. What a joy is was to stop at our wedding and celebrate with him, his birthday.
20 years ago on nearly this same date, we found out I had breast cancer. Seven years after that, we found out he was sick with a terminal diagnosis. 13 years ago, he left this earth. Little did we know then, that those years would hold SUCH significance.
Now it’s the early morning hours on a bitter cold winter day (-45 with the windchill factor!) and my thoughts go fondly to him with love, my heart still aching with sadness over his loss.
There is so much about him that I wish all of you could have known. There is a book in there somewhere, just waiting to be written.
You that knew him, knew him as a teacher, evangelist, prophet, church lead, author.
I knew him as Dad. My Dad who took care of me, who cared for me, who wept with me when my heart was devastated by the breakup of my first relationship, the proud Papa who rejoiced with me at the marriage to the man who he felt was my perfect match, the heart broken Father who silently wept in the presence of friends when he found out I had cancer, the Pappy who cherished his grandchildren (and especially rejoiced with us at the birth of our only child Sarah), the man who treasured life, who wanted to keep on living but was willing to go in obedience to the will of His maker.
This is the man I wish you all could have known and the one whom I will honor and love.
This is the Daddy who I will celebrate, remember and honor on every February 13th. This is my Papa.
Happy birthday in heaven Daddy!💗
