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WestBow Press

21 June 2009

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

It is the wee hours of Sunday morning, I should really be sleeping (especially considering I have to be at work in 5 hours!). Today is not just a typical sultry June Sunday, however, it is Father's Day. This Father's Day is bittersweet, for I have to send my Father's Day wishes heavenward ... June 2 was two years ago that Daddy passed away.


Father's Day wasn't actually made a federal holiday until 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the order that made it so. Mother's Day had been around as a holiday for a number of years (President Woodrow Wilson signed THAT order), but for some reason Father's Day was not considered as important a holiday as Mother's Day. Today's consuming commercialism makes one want to step back and rethink any holiday, but let's just look at why it means as much to honor our fathers as it does to honor our mothers.


I don't remember the first Father's Day present I ever gave my daddy, although I would venture a guess and say that my mama probably does. The gift itself didn't matter so much, it was the thought behind it and the fact that I loved my daddy that made it special! Thinking back over my life, I remember many gifts that my daddy gave me. Let me share a few of them with you.


My daddy taught me that sometimes making the right decision would be the hardest thing to do. My daddy taught me that you have to stand up for what you believe is right, even when there may be many others around you that disagree. My daddy taught me that it's okay to be wrong, but that you have to admit it, learn from your mistakes, and move forward. My daddy taught me to make the most of what you have instead of wasting time whining about what you wish you had. The most important thing my daddy taught me? No one's perfect (not even daddy), and that you have to do your best and leave the rest up to God.


And speaking of father, God IS our heavenly father. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his children: he gave the life of His son to save the rest of us. As a mother, I can't even imagine that agony. On this Father's Day, remember to thank God, our Father, for the mighty blessings He bestows on us. Just like our earthly daddy, our Heavenly Father wants what is best for us. Let us make a concentrated effort to do our best for Him.


God, I thank you for the 43 years that I was blessed to have my daddy. Thank you for your love and grace, and please guide me within your will. Make me an example for you.


Daddy, this one's for you! Happy Father's Day William Paul Abel -- I miss you!!


"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."~Psalm 68:5 NIV