To my Dad

I write this post to tell you about the strongest man I know. Through my childhood there was a man who loved me in spite of my disabilities he never looked at me as though I was broken. He used to push me in my wheelchair and occasionally he would act like he was going to let me roll down a hill (only to catch me at the last second, or at lest what I thought was the last second). We made frequent trips to Shiner’s Children’s Hospital in St. Louis for the numerous check-ups I had over a total of sixteen years. In those years he helped me recover from 7 surgeries. Did he always take the hands on approach? No. But what he did do was work behind the scenes. Working to make sure I had what I needed and was where I needed to be when I needed to be there.

As I grew the relationship between my dad and I became strained through the fog that adolescence brings. It was the generation gap. I had some how forgotten the example he had shown me. I wanted to do things my way. The man that made me laugh through pain was now someone I had forgotten. Why did I do this? I thought he was to tough I was to short sighted to notice that he was preparing me for a harsh world that wasn’t exactly user friendly for disabled kids. Oh how I wish I could have seen the future.

This brings us to now. My Dad still continues to teach me lessons. Only these lessons are more powerful then anything he has ever taught me before. Mom was diagnosed with cancer ten years ago and yes dad was confused and worried and angry. He continued to do what he does best. What is that you ask He is the best father and husband I have ever seen? Day by day he teaches me what it means to be a husband, and a father. My future wife and children will be thankful for this man that is my father. He is my example. This does not mean he is perfect, but it is not his job to be perfect that belongs to God.

My dad is a man of deep convictions; he loves God, his wife, and his family. Does he live the stereotypical Christian life? Nah but I wouldn’t want him to. Some how I think if he did he wouldn’t be the same man.

What type of man is he? He is the man I read about in Ephesians. He is the man that doesn’t quit when he is faced with the stress of a disabled son. He is the man that when his wife is sick he still looks at her with the same passion he did 30 years ago.

Who is that man that man is my dad, I hope to be half the man he has shown me to be.

P.S. He isn’t a computer guy so he will never read this. I talk about mom a lot. But I just wanted to introduce you to my Dad.