From viewing the crystal blue eyes of my newborn son, to seeing a beautiful daughter a nurse had to convince me was mine, to a daughter with a thatch of red hair looking like she was wanting to fight, being a dad has defined my life for the past forty years. There is nothing that has given me more pleasure. It has been the fulfillment of dreams having existed since I was a small boy.
Having come from a family with an abusive father, it has always been my goal to be the very best father I could be. However, the real challenge came from not having the proper example. So, I prepared with classes on child development and psychology. Yet, the real breakthrough came when I committed my life to Christ and looked to my heavenly Father as an example. Even though I can’t claim perfection, my life is proof of having taken fatherhood serious to the extreme. None of my children will ever be able to say that I have abused them in any way. Each of them will always be able to give testimony to my unconditional love. I am proud of them individually for their own merits. And, even though I would like to think I have had a part, each of them have become successful adults through their own efforts.
My children mean more to me than anything. They are among the greatest gifts I have ever received from God. The only gifts greater are His love and my wife. To have enjoyed the pleasure of parenting these precious gifts carries more meaning than I could possible delineate in this blog. Each stage of their growth, from infancy through adulthood, has been a miraculous experience. In each phase they have shown God’s greatest love to me. From Rodney’s kungfuy, to Brook’s hatcha, to Shannon’s precise time-keeping, they have brought joy that can only be found in being a dad. And now, as Rodney finds his way in the Lord, Shannon begins life with a new mate, and Brook continues to mother her brood, I continue to be elated in simply being their dad.
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