Goodby Dad I love you

Dear Dad,

I have thought of you often over the years. This past weekend I went to a Women of Faith Conference. As I listened to the stories of faith I thought of you, but when one of the ladies sang “How great thou art”, I remembered that it was a favorite song of your because your mom played it in so beautifully on the piano. I don’t know if I ever heard her play it but I can imagine it was beautiful and it brings tears to my eyes when I think of watching you enjoy the song and I can see and feel the love you have for your mom and can only imagine the great memories you have of her.

I wish I could show you and tell you everything that I feel for you and how thankful I am to have you as my dad – I would choose no other.

So here are some of the things I love that you passed on to me:

Thank you for teaching me to laugh, to play jokes, to have fun and to smile.

Thank you for allowing me to have horses and learn how to ride – they helped me a lot in my younger years.

Thanks for teaching how to give of myself.

Thank you for being selfless.

Thanks for loving mom through the really tough times.

Thanks for loving me through running away, getting married, lies and deceit, and marriage woes with Ken.

Thanks for accepting me with all my faults and warts and loving me no matter what.

Thanks for accepting Joel and giving me away at our wedding.  Whoda thought we’d be where we are today in our marriage, faith, family and life – it’s so awesome!! God has blessed me so many times in my life with miracles and blessings.

Thanks for teaching me to fish!

Thanks for teaching the bible study for two years, what a journey.

Thanks for giving your life to Christ, heaven will be so awesome and someday we will see each other again and we will be free of these earthly burdens and we will hold hands with our Lord and maybe catch a fish or two.  I shall never forget our fishing trip to Fish lake and our being WAY over the limit with pan fish……I think I left you in the back yard cleaning most of them (sorry).

Remember when I caught a fish and watched you clean it for the first time, I was so sick to my stomach I couldn’t eat  it ugh…

So many memories in life, I seem to have so many of them lately. I think you will be going home soon, when you do I sure hope there is an answer as to why you have been so sick, I hope I can come to some small understanding of it. It saddens my heart so much to think of the missed times of fishing with the boys. They have your love for fishing and it makes me so happy – wish I could do more of it and I will try to go more.  I see my boys (who would have thought I would have four boys, three being adopted, hunh) growing so fast lately and I know all too soon they will be off doing their own life.  I hope that they learn from Joel and me as much as I have learned from you and mom.