Dad

"When is dad gonna be home?", I would ask in a bored voice. This was a question that filled much of my childhood. I know that in these days not every boy has a father who comes home every night and so I count myself blessed to have a father. And not only do I have a father, but I have a father who loves the Lord, who took us to church to hear the truth of the Gospel, and who did devotions with us after dinner every night. How would I ever know how to be a father in the coming years if not for experiencing his example. My father is one of the most disciplined and also one of the funniest people that I know. The importance of discipline is becoming more clear to me in my life as I notice how closely it is related to the fruit that I see in his life. I used to think that discipline took all the fun out of things and that to take on acts of discipline was to forfeit joy. It turns out, years later, I am finding that discipline and obedience in the Lord actually brings joy every day and it's more joy than I would have ever imagined. Sure, it's not the shallow and fleeting joy of doing what I want and when I want, it's a deeper and fuller joy and it follows me through the whole day. I imagine there were many times growing up when my mom and dad probably wondering to themselves, "When is Pat going to get it?" Well, thank you for the prayers you prayed for me even back then because I finally understand.
My dad loves to scrapbook, work in the garage on whatever, to do crossword puzzles, cook on the grill, and watch Navy lacrosse! (Whooo! Go Navy!) Those are a few things that come to mind when I think of my dad. Thank you dad, for being such a good example who works hard and loves his family as best he can. Who knows where I would be today if it wasn't for you. Wherever it is, I wouldn't want to be there. Love you, Patrick