Steppin' Up
I've listened to him pray the most beautiful prayer as our daughter prepared to give birth to our grandbaby. I've watched him spend time with our youngest daughter to teach her the ropes of being his office manager. I take in the sight of him cheering on our son from the sidelines at his baseball game, and that's just in the last few days. With every single milestone, my heart swells with gratitude and appreciation for the man who stepped up when he could have stepped out.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again-anyone can be a dad, but it takes someone truly special to be a father, and Chad takes it to a whole new level. I'm not surprised, though, and if you knew his dad ( Big Lar), you wouldn't be surprised either. Chad is a chip off the ol' block and I know his dad is smiling down from heaven so, very proud of him.
Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they grow old they will not turn from it."
Fifteen years ago this September, Chad and I went on our first date to a UK football game. As things got serious, I knew we had to have "the conversation". I had two little girls that were seven and nine years old at the time. We were a package deal. I told him they were my whole world and his words back to me made me fall head over heels-He said "And they'll be my whole world, too!" But, it wasn't just what he said, it was how it said it, I knew he meant it. The rest is history.
That man always steps up for his kids, and he never misses anything; if he does, you better believe there is a good reason. Ballgames, cheer competitions, clogging, proms, FFA, track meets-you name it, he's been there. He never complains; he's always there, ready and willing to fill in the gap for our children, and I absolutely love that about him.
Chad has no biological children; he gave that up when he and I got together because I couldn't have any more children. As a divorced, single mother, it was very hard for me to understand why on earth he'd ever want to give up the chance to have kids of his own, but he did because he loved us that much. He has never looked back; he is one hundred percent all in at being a "stepped-up dad" and an adoptive dad. I truly believe he was put on this earth for us and our children. Parenting ain't easy, blended families ain't easy, but I feel so extremely blessed to walk through this life with him and call him mine.
My Dad
As a little girl, I thought my daddy hung the moon and all the stars, and I still do. I have the best childhood memories, and I cherish each one of them so dearly. My dad taught me to sing, and when I'd sing, he was my biggest fan, and I've always been his. There is nothing I love more than singing beside him on any stage. I remember him bringing home soundtracks from a store downtown called Miracle Book Room. Songs like Handwriting on the Wall and Heaven Knows were just a few of the songs I learned for him, and I still remember them.
My dad always showered my brother and I with love and all the cool gifts. We had four-wheelers, go-carts, trampoline, pool, and I even had a car to drive up and down the driveway to the school bus; it was a lavender Dodge Neon, and she was a beauty! Some nights after working all day, he'd chill on the couch and watch movies like Rocky, Rambo or Bloodsport-I'd watch them with him, but not until I fixed him a Diet Pepsi on ice!
My dad is hilarious and handsome, always has been. He loves to make people smile and he loves a good game of rook. Most of the time you'll see him with either a guitar or a fishing pole in his hand and if you're really lucky, he'll have a good, corny dad joke for ya. My children love their papaw and he loves them. He is all my cousins' favorite uncle and his perfected Donald Duck voice wins the hearts of every kid he comes in contact with.
He can sit down with an idea and write an entire song in minutes and can tell you about the Bible front to back. I'm so blessed to have been raised by a man who taught me about Jesus and always made me feel wanted and loved. I thank God for my dad every day.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 "Fathers encourage and comfort their children"
A Good Good Father
Our daughter recently made Chad and I grandparents for the second time. I saw God that day. When I held that baby for the first time, my heart wanted to explode. I saw a miracle lying right there in my arms. All I could do was thank God for all he had given me. He is a good, good Father. He never fails, and his love never ends. I'm forever grateful to be a child of God, and I'll never stop praising Him for all His goodness!
He's a good, good Father who offers us love, mercy, and protection right at our fingertips. His comfort is unmatched, and His grace abounds.
Psalm 68:5 "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation."
Fatherhood can't possibly be summed up in just one day; it's so much more than that. It's more than just a day. With that said, I pray you celebrated all the special men in your life and that you know what it's like to be loved by the good, good Father!
His praise I will always sing; because I am a daughter of the most high King.
Love and Blessings,
Michelle
