Fathers

I’m going to keep this short because I still have to call my Papa and greet him a Happy Father’s Day.

But first, a little tribute.

To my hubby, for being the greatest dad to our kids. Our children are just all kinds of blessed because of you and your presence in their lives. Thank you for you!

As I type this, my hubby is on his way home with our 14-year-old, after having spent a weekend at Steubenville for the high school youth conference. Our 9-year-old complained this morning while we were at Mass — “Father’s Day and no father”. A rare thing indeed. But, her father is busy right now being father. And tonight, after coming home to Steubenville, he and the 14-year-old head on out to summer camp, where our 12-year-old is waiting. Dad’s scoutmaster, so you scout-wives out there know what that means. A few weeks ago he camped with the 9-year-old — he was one of three dads there. He’s doing it again in August, when the American Heritage Girls have their summer camp.

I am just blessed, blessed, blessed, to have a husband who would make this kind of commitment to our children. He’s a quiet guy. The kids tease him that he doesn’t laugh very much. But his love is always, always felt. Magnified a thousand times, in my eyes, when he takes time like this weekend and the coming week to be physically present. We’ve talked about this before, how some people claim that it’s not quantity of time, it’s quality of time that you spend with your kids that matters. But dissecting that a little deeper… you can’t have quality time unless you’ve got a certain quantity of time FIRST. A “quality hour” is still so much more than “quality ten minutes”. So yes, quantity matters too, and my hubby knows that.

But I can’t give tribute to the kind of father my husband is without giving tribute to MY father. I wouldn’t be married to this incredible guy if I didn’t have the kind of father God blessed me with. I wouldn’t have known what qualities to look for in a guy. I wouldn’t have known not to settle for anything but the best (best for me of course). I wouldn’t have known the ways a man should treat a woman, if I had not seen it first in my Papa, who treats my mom like his queen. Most days anyway 😉 .

A Happy Father’s Day to any and all dads who happen to read this, spiritual fathers included. And thank You to the Father of us all, who gives us all we need.