For one, my dad was home! Often he's in the States at this time of the year. Actually, he leaves to the States for a board meeting tomorrow, but he was here today. I am thankful for that!
Secondly, I am the only kid at home now. That's a first for a Father's Day! We made the best of it!
It's strange to celebrate without my brothers, but we figured something else out that made it memorable for sure: FaceTime.
After coming home from church (we have services in the afternoon), we took some pictures together, laughed a lot, ate a wonderful dinner on the patio, and... kept our phones close.
We kept our phones close, because at 8, my mom and I had planned with my brothers for them to FaceTime us. We surprised my dad, and got to have the whole family together on a Sunday evening! Even though we were just holding the phones out and talking, and even though it kept cutting out, it felt like the real thing. It felt good to be "together" as a family for an evening.
Caleb is at Gull Lake this Summer (Haley's working there too!), and Tyler and Lara are on the other side of Czech, serving with Josiah Venture as Summer interns. We all have Internet though, and that's enough to bring us together!
My dad. He is amazing. I can't thank him enough for all that he has done and given to me these past 18 years. Especially in these last few years, as I have gotten older, he has intentionally taken the time to invest in our relationship. He takes me out for lunch, he asks me how I'm doing, he notices little details about me, like a new dress, or even painted nails!
Most importantly, Dad teaches me Truth from the Bible, points me to God's love, and always brings things back to the Father-- our Heavenly Father. That right there is probably the thing I value most about my dad. He knows that what he gives to me, he can only give because he is loved by his Father. He is humble, and knows that his imperfections point to our perfect Father. He reminds me to look to Him for everything. That is the greatest gift my dad could give me.
Thank you Dad, for everything. You are one of a kind!! I love you.
That was such a fun day! Wow, it seems SOOOOO long ago though. I can't wait to be back at home with you next summer!
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