Let's just say you're a father. What do you want more than anything else from your kids? My dad never asked for a specific, tangible gift, although he did/does love giving and receiving gifts. My dad always asked for "nice, happy, obedient daughters." Well, he might as well have asked for a suitcase full of $100 bills. Highly unlikely that four temperamental, teenage daughters could possibly make either request happen. In fact, we usually cracked under the stress. Father's Day (and Mother's Day and Easter) occurs on a Sunday and everyone knows that it's absolutely impossible for a Sunday to be stress-free, especially on a major holiday and even more especially when one of your daughters has unmanageable curly hair!
I wish you could all meet my dad. Here he is with my mom on his 71st birthday!
He is an amazingly complex man. He's lived a lot of life in his short 71 years! From a childhood in the heart of Mexico in a family of 10 raised by an elderly aunt while his parents were working in the USA, to an adulthood of non-stop work, my dad is a one-of-a-kind individual who is unforgettable and full of grace. His favorite music is classical. Second favorite is easy listening like Edie Gorme, Paul Anka, Tijuana Brass Band. He loves my mom's Mexican food, hold the spiciness. He loves his wife beyond all reason. He loves his daughters with all his heart. He loves his granddaughter and grandsons more than he could ever say. He loves to take his family out to breakfast at a newly discovered "hole in the wall". He is sentimental, always making sure to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special occasions with a houseful of guests and a great home-cooked meal. My dad loves all of God's creation. He has a beautiful patio bursting with blooming flowers, flowering plants, overflowing fruit trees and wonderful waterfalls and trellises. His secret to gardening success: he talks to and prays for the plants every day while he waters them and cares for them. They truly respond to his voice and his prayers for them. My dad has never met a stranger. He spends a lot of time helping out his neighbors. He spends even more time volunteering as part of "Men On A Mission" a ministry at his church that does service projects for various ministries, mostly in California. My dad is also extremely generous with his "little job" money. He's always handing out cash to his grandkids and kids or filling their gas tank at Costco or helping them buy new tires or whatever physical need he can assist with. He hardly sits down because when he does, he falls asleep. He's a morning person. Awake at the crack of dawn, whistling, clapping his hands, getting ready for work quickly like he's got to punch a time clock somewhere. His knees are bad, making it difficult to go downstairs and down ladders. But he goes after life in the fullest sense, never allowing ill health or aching joints to hold him back from living and serving and loving and laughing and leaving a legacy. I'm proud of my dad. I love my dad. And I know he loves me...
Happy Father's Day
P.S. thx for the curls, Dad!
