a late happy birthday to my dad

It’s Sunday, the day I don’t usually post on this here blog.

But it was my dad’s birthday this past week, and I wanted to tell you a little bit about him (I told you what I learned from my mom when it was her birthday back in June).

my dad with Sonia back in 2004

So, here are some things that I appreciate about my dad.

1. He loves God and the gospel

I’m so thankful that I was born into a home with two Christian parents and I’m thankful for all the ways that my dad’s faith in Christ affected the way that he parented my siblings and me.

2. He works hard

My dad is not one to sit in the house and watch TV all day and I respect that about him. He is a go-getter and is not afraid of hard physical labor. Even though he’s retired from his two jobs (he played sax in a band and had an in-ground sprinkler system installation company), he’s still not sitting quietly at home. He works at church, invests time in discipling people, and is busy at home, working in the garden, hauling wood for his woodstove and building things (he’s working on modifying their deck right now!).

Because my dad worked so hard to provide for us when we were growing up, my mom was able to stay home and teach me all the things I told you about in her birthday post. 🙂

3. He doesn’t always work

My dad works hard, but he’s not a workaholic. Even when I was a kid, he always ate breakfast with us, always had family devotions with us, always ate dinner with us (and often lunch when he was home), and always spent time in the evenings with us (we read through books out loud together before bed).

my grandpa, my dad, and me. I'm really not taller than both of them...I'm just sitting up higher!

4. He loves my mom

Growing up, I didn’t really realize how many unhappy marriages existed in the world and I also was pretty blissfully unaware of how many marriages don’t last.

Of course, I’m more enlightened now, and I’m that much more appreciative of the fact that my parents are still together and are still happy.

5. He takes an interest in what I’m doing and encourages me

You know how some people only seem interested in talking about themselves or what’s going on in their lives? Well, my dad is good at being interested in what I’m up to, and he encourages me in my endeavors. He reads my blogs, tells me when he thinks I wrote an especially good post ;), asks how things are going at church, asks about Mr. FG’s job, and tells me I’ve done a good job when he hears me play the piano.

I love my dad and I’m glad God picked him for me! 🙂

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Today’s 365 post: It’s a baby explosion!

Joshua’s 365 post: Stop Motion and a Tutorial