My Father

Today is Dad's birthday! I managed to place my phone call at the perfect time so as to get through to wish him a happy birthday! That is more difficult than you may imagine due to the fact that my father has eight other children who might possibly be trying to call for the same purpose at the same time. But I got through and I was able to talk to Dad, . . . though I did have to promise my 15 year old brother the equivalent of my first child to get him to pass the phone to Dad (sometimes little brothers delight a bit too much in tormenting their older sisters!) It is so wonderful to have a father who loves to talk to his children.

Since it is Dad's birthday I'll share a few facts about Dad . . .
He loves Mom
He has a very clear view of what is right and doesn't waver, he lives what he believes
He has 13 pretty incredible kids (if the reference to 8 children above threw you off . . . 8+me, all out on our own, and 4 still at home) and is a wonderful father
He gives the best motorcycle rides (and tractor rides, and combine rides, and 4-wheeler rides . . .)
His grandkids adore him and love it when he visits
He is a man of integrity
He works incredibly hard and has taught his children well
He loves home and family
He plays the organ well (and the piano too)
He tells the best bed-time stories
He loves family history
He appreciates classic muscle cars
He honors his priesthood
He isn't much of a cook but he makes delicious popcorn (perfectly buttered with just the right amount of salt) and fresh picked corn-on-the-cob
I could go on forever because he is pretty amazing!

I appreciate my father because he helped nurture my testimony and taught me correct principles from the time I was very young. He also taught me how to work (okay, he had some serious help from Mom on this one) and to never quit until the job is done right. A quick story to illustrate. Growing up on a family farm, we learned to work early and to be responsible for the work that we did. Inevitably there were times when we would be out late on a cold winter's night, walking fences or caring for a sick calf. Dad was right there beside us, helping to take care of the problem and eventually we would get the work done. As us kids would hustle to the pick-up, Dad would check everything one last time. We of course would holler to him to hurry so that we could get home, but Dad would check the fence or make sure the calf had plenty of straw in its pen. He always said it was so that "I can sleep when the wind blows." I think I understand those words much better now that I find myself fulfilling my responsibilities.

I love you Dad, happy birthday!