mi padre.

Since I haven't really written a Father's Day post yet, I'll do so now. To say my daddeus is a huge blessing is an understatement. Every single day, he selflessly and faithfully serves our family. He consistently challenges and encourages each of us to raise the standard: whether it's keeping the house clean, doing homework well, managing time and finances well, or pursuing godliness. He tells us that if we are not faithful in the little things, it will be hard to be faithful in the big things. At times, I don't respect or listen to his advice as I should. I want to change that. He has much wisdom and experience. He deeply cares for each of his 10 kids and has invested his life into our family.

Some memories I have from growing up are..
*him reading a Proverbs at family time and demonstrating what haughty eyes look like.
*smelling garlic and knowing that dad is cooking dinner
*coming home from road trips and pretending that I was asleep so that he would carry me inside
*when his back muscles would be all knotted up, he would tell me to walk on his back
*him throwing me in Grandma's pool
*him and my mom calling eachother "Doober" (I still don't get it)
*him praying "the LORD bless you, and keep you, and may His face shine upon you" before I would go to sleep
*him lifting me up so I could reach the apples when we went picking in the orchards up north
*going to visit him at the downtown YMCA when he worked there
*him helping me with math problems
*him sacrificially caring for his mom when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and going through chemotherapy
*when we did a house-wide search for his missing glasses. I found them and he carried me around on his shoulders to celebrate.
*him telling stories of growing up in the Bahamas, in the ski lodge in the Massachusetts mountains, & in the boarding school in England.
*him giving me hugs and saying "now don't forget that I love you."

Dad, don't forget that I love YOU.
xoxo, joanna